


The Domino Effect

by InfernalBlossom



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! Series
Genre: Ancient Egyptian Deities, Ancient Egyptian Literature & Mythology, Anime/Manga Fusion, Attempted Murder, Awkward Romance, Card Games, Curses, Denial, Dueling, Enemies to Lovers, Haunting, Horrible Attempts at Translation, I had a concrete plan for this but it went off road, Multi, Possession, Public Humiliation, Reincarnation, Sexual Tension, Shadow Games, Shadow Realm, Spirits, Stereotypical Teenage Angst, Swapping Cards from Different Generations, Underage Drinking, characters are referred to by their Japanese names, potty mouth, references to season 0, romance is a possibility, slight change in ages, we're pretty much pretending the Orichalcos arc never happened
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-16
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-05-07 13:49:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 10
Words: 47,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14672385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InfernalBlossom/pseuds/InfernalBlossom
Summary: From card games coming to life, to ancient spirits inhabiting relics taken from their tombs, Yugi and his friends have had more than their fill of adventure for one summer. So the start of the second school semester is a welcome relief to the crew, until trouble arrives in the form of a transfer student. Though she proves to be nothing more than a nuisance at first she knocks over the first domino, triggering a series of events nobody asked for or ever thought possible.An updated version of my 2011 story from fanfiction.net, 'Fortunes Buried in Sand'





	1. Your Typical Introduction

Birds chirped and flew from one building to another, ringing in the start of a new morning in Domino Prefecture. Near the heart of the city, the top floor window of a popular gaming shop opened and Yugi Muto took in a fresh gust of wind. "I can already tell," he told himself with a grin, "this is going to be a great day." The teen had been in a blissful mood ever since the end of the Battle City tournament, where Marik's wrath manifested in its own entity and almost unleashed chaos upon the world. Those who watched on television would never know just how close they came to total demise. He still remembered the adventure home, and how Kaiba scared the crap out of everyone when appearing from his exploded island in his Blue Eyes-modeled jet. Jonouchi nearly socked him good for pulling that stunt, though the CEO brushed off the concern in vexation. But the mid-school year break was over, and the second semester was beginning in Japan. He honestly couldn't wait to be back in the simple and familiar routine of attending class and hanging out after school for studying and casual card games. Ryuji would show off a dice trick or two while his fangirls squealed behind him; Jonouchi and Hiroto would wrestle each other to the floor; and Anzu would try to break up the friendly scuffle as Ryou watched with worry. Life would be normal again...well, as normal as it could get for him. There was nothing ordinary about the spirit of a five-thousand year old pharaoh residing inside of the giant pendant chained around his neck, but life itself would be close to it once more.

Yugi got ready for class in a hurry and ran outside, anticipation building inside him at the thought of a relaxing day at school with his friends. The light changed for him to cross the street next to the high school, and as he stepped off the curb, a skateboarder suddenly wove in front of him and the other people crossing. Yugi jumped backwards and bumped into another pedestrian, muttering an apology before yelling, "Hey!" at the skateboarder. The assailant ignored his cry and continued onto the school grounds. Yugi groaned and hopped to the other side of the street before the light changed again and stepped into the building, where the spirit of the puzzle materialized next to him.

 **"That was rude,"** the pharaoh told him, to which Yugi simply waved it off. He'd been through worse situations where his life was at stake; one rude student was a minor inconvenience compared to those.

He saw his friends already inside and waved to them, hearing the rest of his classmates applaud him as he walked into the classroom. "About time you got here, Yug," Jonouchi called to his friend, pounding his fist against Yugi's. Along with his group of friends, the entire class was buzzing. There was excitement in the air not only about the start of the new semester, but with talk of everyone's summer break experience and Yugi's Battle City win. Some students pat the teen's shoulders and congratulated him a second time as they passed him by. "Sounds like you're the center of attention today. I'd say it's a nice change of pace compared to Ryuji's usual fangirl horde."

"I doubt it's that serious," he answered in a chuckle. "I don't play for the fame like he does."

"It's not _all_ for the fame," their black haired friend argued lightly with the wave of his hand.

Anzu scoffed. "Yeah, it's also so you can get in their pants."

"It is NOT!" He turned away and crossed his arms, hoping she wouldn't see the red flooding to his cheeks.

Amidst the embarrassing turn of the conversation Ryou took his seat beside the window and turned his chair to face Anzu. "Did any of you hear about the transfer student joining our class?" he asked them, and all of them shook their heads. "They say the new person was expelled from their last school in Canada. Apparently they pulled a prank so devious it put other students' lives in jeopardy."

Hiroto sucked his teeth. "And we just happen to be lucky enough to have them joining our class. Well it was great knowing you all." He made a gun shape with his hand and pretended to blow the trigger at his temple. Anzu rolled her eyes at the action.

The bell for the start of class rang and everyone scrambled to their seats before the instructor walked in. "Good morning, class," she began. "I hope you all had a wonderful summer break, because it's time to get back to learning. Time spares no one from quizzes." Some of the students simultaneously booed the idea of a test approaching so soon until the teacher quieted them down. "Relax, it won't determine your grades for the semester. Think of it as a warm-up for what's to come. But first, attendance." She sat at the head desk and began to call out names, marking them down if they responded. When she reached the third name, another student waltzed into the classroom and leaped toward the farthest desk in the back. "Hold it." The student froze and groaned at the realization they'd been caught. The teacher cleared her throat and switched to English so the transfer could understand her. "I can smell a new student like fresh garbage. Come back to the front and introduce yourself." The student shook their head and grumbled something too low for anyone to comprehend as they reluctantly stomped back to the teacher's desk. "Now I'm sure you've all heard the rumors of a transfer student joining our class today," she explained, "and you can clearly see those rumors have been confirmed." Every pair of eyes fell on the person in question: pale skin, ginger hair with black dyed tips protruding out from under a red helmet, one gray eye not hidden under bangs, red sneakers, a gold pendant tucked under their shirt, and the Domino High male student uniform adorning their body. But the clothing seemed to fit their body strangely, snug around the hips and chest. A boldly designs skateboard sat in his left hand and everyone heard gum popping- Yugi's eyes widened, realizing the individual standing there was the culprit who nearly ran him over earlier. "Well, go ahead and introduce yourself. And take that helmet off. I'm sure Canadian schools didn't allow headwear on in the building; the same rules apply here." The new student sighed, muttering something a second time, and removed the helmet, leaving the class mouth agape.

A wave of bright ginger hair fell out from under the helmet, flowing down to the student's shoulder blades and cascading outward. The male student turned out to, in fact, be a female student wearing the wrong uniform. "Yo," she said to them, waving a hand, "uhh...Name's Sandra Evans. Kon...ichwuh..." She fell silent and glanced over her shoulder to the instructor, who motioned for her to go on. "What else am I supposed to say?"

"Maybe tell everyone a little bit about yourself?"

"Yeah...I got expelled from my school in Canada because I was too cool for the ass wipes there. So...yeah. That's it." She blew a bubble and popped it, making sure it was purposely loud enough for her to make the teacher twitch in annoyance.

"Well, Sandra..." The teacher cleared her throat. "...Thank you for that. I hope you know you're wearing the wrong uniform. I'll let it slide since this is your first day, but I hope you use this weekend to learn the rules alongside today's lesson." She allowed the transfer student to sit and Sandra walked to the desk in the back middle of the room, behind Anzu and to Ryuji's left.

The teacher continued taking attendance and Ryuji scribbled a small note in English, tossing it onto the transfer student's desk. Sandra opened the paper and read his words: **By the time you finish reading this note, you'll be clearing your schedule to go out with me.** She re-read his note twice and blinked before exhaling and crumpling the paper into a ball. Ryuji smirked and raised his hand as his name was called, blissfully unaware of the rejection. From the corner of his eye Hiroto swore he saw the two smiling to one another from three rows up. Another girl attracted to the player? Yeah, that was just what he needed. He couldn't bear to see another girl join his already massive harem. If that wasn't bad enough, his third attempt at asking Miho Nosaka, his crush for the past four years, out on a date didn't go so well. She denied him AGAIN, further destroying his ego. He'd tried talking to Jonouchi about it, which helped a little, but he'd started dabbling more with the opposite sex as well. He was pretty much on his own.

The attendance complete, the teacher stood up and began writing notes on the board. "As you'll remember from last semester," she began, "ancient Egypt was divided into three intermediate periods: the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom and the New Kingdom." Many of the students started taking notes on the lesson, while Sandra's head tilted and her face twisted, watching the chalk create kanji on the blackboard. How was she supposed to learn anything if she couldn't read it? The instructor spoke in English to her, and it was understandable, so why not give the lesson in the same manner? Another paper flew onto her desk and caught her attention. It was a second note from Ryuji, again written in English so she could understand it. **Feel free to ask me for help if you need a translator. I'm quite thorough when it comes to helping someone in need.** She raised an eyebrow. He wasn't going to quit, was he? Well, at least he was going to be partially useful. A yawn escaped her lips when the instructor turned to the blackboard, giving Sandra the cover to lay her head down. She glanced over to Ryuji, who noticed her staring and he winked at her. How pathetic. Was he seriously hitting on her? Sandra quietly laughed to herself, popping her gum as she chewed it. There was a feeling of guilt in her – only slight – knowing she'd only be using him to translate the strange crossing lines of kanji into something she could read. Sandra yawned again, and began drowning out the voice of her instructor until she dozed off. Anzu, who had coincidentally glanced behind her while copying the black board, saw the new girl falling asleep. She reached behind her shoulder and poked her pen into her head until Sandra woke up.

"Hmm? What is it?" Sandra mumbled just loud enough for Anzu to hear. Anzu pointed her pen to the black board, signaling that she should be paying attention to the lesson, and resumed copying the notes. Sandra laid back down with a shrug and watched Ryuji again. Maybe using him would prove more than just useful.

Class took forever to end in Sandra's eyes. She stood up when the bell rang and stretched her arms above her head. "Man, that nap sucked!" She pulled out her schedule and wandered into the hall, skateboard in hand, relieved it was typed in English. Where was her next class supposed to be? She overheard a few students talking – in Japanese, and one of them mentioned a few words she could understand, something having to do with her next instructor. For once she was glad to be able to grasp a little of the language. She followed them, assuming they were in the same class. The class consisted of a lot of the same people, including Yugi and his friends. They watched her walk to the back of the classroom and take the desk in the farthest corner by the wall, propping her feet up onto it. She set the skateboard and her bag under the desk, pulled out a pair of bulky gray headphones and immediately putting them on.

Anzu and the others pulled their eyes from her and back to their little congregation. "I can't believe she's not even wearing the right uniform," she groused to Ryou. "And then she passed out behind me in history class! That's probably why she got expelled from her other school." A sigh escaped her lips. "Freaking delinquent." Her white-haired friend was ready to defend the transfer, prepared to offer some sort of reason for her behavior: nerves, culture shock, or perhaps a bad sleep schedule. But when he peered her way as his lips parted, he noticed the lighter in her grasp, and she flicked it on and off while heavy metal blasted loudly through her headphones.A shiver crawled down his spine at the thought of what she could've done to get expelled.

An older, graying man walked into the classroom and sat at the teacher's desk, redirecting the students' attention. "I'm sorry to say that your regular teacher won't be in for a few days," he started. "He called in sick at the last minute, which leaves us with no lesson plan. I'll be supervising you until he returns. Feel free to socialize and relax, but please keep the volume low."

Cheers surfaced all around the room, and the students regrouped. Yugi's friends sat in a circle of desks near each other. "So who wants to break the ice with the new girl?" Hiroto asked his friends. He didn't notice Ryuji making his way over to her until Anzu pointed in her direction and coughed hard. "Man, he works fast..." Everyone else watched as he went to make his move. Hiroto looked at Sandra's face again, seeing her bored expression and smirked, confident she wouldn't fall into the trap that was Ryuji's charm.

The green eyed teen sat next to Sandra. "Hey, what's up?" he asked her, but he received no response. "Hello?" The screeching guitar in her music kept her completely distracted, as did the fire flickering and dying as she played with the lighter. She didn't notice he was sitting next to her until she felt his hand tap on her foot. The girl sighed and paused her music as she slid the headphones around her neck.

"Can I help you?"

"Maybe I can help you," he replied. "I heard you giggling last period when you read my little messages. It was almost as intoxicating as your looks."

Sandra blinked once, still playing around with her lighter. She hadn't anticipated him making a move on her so quickly. "And your point would be...what, now?"

Ryuji moved his chair closer to her, watching her chew her gum. "My point is that I'd love to make you laugh more. On a date with just the two of us, maybe?"

"Yeah...no thanks." She pulled the headphones over her ears again and started up the music.

"No?" he repeated in a slight choke. Okay, he thought to himself, maybe he was a bit too forward with the new girl. She'd only been in his class for a total of- what, forty minutes? Perhaps she was the shier type. He could go slow. "My apologies," he began again, "I didn't mean to weird you out like that. I just thought I'd make a friendly gesture and-"

"What? Sorry, I can't hear you. My music is REALLY loud." Sandra turned up her volume to what most would consider deafening, her foot swinging back and forth to the beat as Ryuji retreated from her. She watched him sit down between a short kid and the girl who'd poked her awake in the first class, shrugged, and drew her attention back to the lighter.

"Well, she's...stubborn, to say the least. But I can give her time. Every girl has a limit."

"Yeah, before she beats your ass to a pulp," Jonouchi commented.

"Maybe introducing yourself would've been better than asking her out right away," Yugi added. "Not all girls like that direct of an approach. Or did you forget about last semester's near disaster with Riiko?" Hiroti recalled the 'disaster' immediately and snickered before getting a punch to the arm from Ryuji. "Maybe I should try talking to her. She probably needs a friendlier welcome than what she's gotten today." Yugi made his way over to the ginger haired girl and tapped her leg to get her attention. Once more, she slipped her headphones around her neck, more annoyed than the first time. She silently stared at him, waiting to see how this experience would play out. "Um, hi," he started. "I'm Yugi Muto. I'm the one you almost...ran over this morning." As he paused for a response, Sandra blew a large bubble and popped it, and pulled the strands of gum back into her mouth to repeat the ritual. The lone eyebrow he could see on her raised slightly.

"So, uhh, what, is it 'Bring Your Kid To Work Day' or something?" Some students sitting a few rows away heard Sandra's comment and struggled to contain their laughter and 'oohs', one hitting his head on the window as he fell backwards. Yugi chuckleded condescendingly and pretended that he hadn't heard her. "Relax. I was just kidding. So what can I do you for, Yogi?"

"I-it's Yugi," he corrected her. "Anyway, I just wanted to welcome you to Domino High and Japan. And if you ever need help with anything, my friends and I would be more than happy to assist you. Don't be hesitant about asking us anything." He offered her a warm smile, but her mind had already left the conversation. She was too focused on her lighter. "Uhh...Sandra?"

Sandra's head shot up from her lighter, a blank expression written on her face. "Huh? Oh, sorry. Were you still talking?" When he didn't answer, she resumed her previous activities. Yugi was three seconds away from slamming his hand onto his forehead. He wasn't sure if she was just acting or if her normal personality consisted of sarcasm and danger. He stood up, shaking his head, and returned to his friends, only to find that they had moved up to the front near the windows.

He caught up with them and pulled up an empty seat. "What's going on?" Yugi looked over Jonouchi's shoulder and saw two of his classmates deep into a game of Duel Monsters.

"Okay, so it's my turn," the first duelist said, drawing another card. "Umm... I'll play Luster Dragon #2 in attack position, and Meteor Dragon in defense position..." He gave his opponent a smug grin, proud of his play. "My dragons are strong, so there's no way you can beat them." Jonouchi shook his head. He'd been watching the duel from the start, and there was zero passion or excitement in it; they weren't even playing right.

Hiroto leaned back in his chair and saw Sandra standing behind him, headphones around her neck. "Whoa!" He nearly fell backwards but was saved when Sandra's knee met the back of his chair, keeping him seated upright. She pushed her way to the front circle and saw the duel that was taking place, not paying any attention to Yugi and Jonouchi on either side of her. She inspected the cards on the field and each duelist's hand.

"Seriously?" Sandra mumbled to herself, shaking her head. "As if it wasn't bad enough they're not even playing right. And this kid sounds like a Kaiba audition!" Yugi overheard her. She left the sad excuse of a duel and fetched her belongings before walking over to the teacher's desk. "Hey, I've gotta go to the bathroom."

"Alright. Try not to take too long." She half shrugged and walked out of the room. Twenty minutes passed and the bell rang, with Sandra nowhere to be seen, and the students headed to their next class, where she was still a no-show. They assumed she just decided to cut class, and the guy heard Anzu call her a delinquent in her cough. Yugi sighed. He'd found a way to break her shell, and he couldn't even try to get her to open up to him.

After their classes ended, the group decided to head to Yugi's place to begin studying for their quiz. They would've invited Sandra had she not vanished after second period. The six of them walked into the card shop and said their hellos as they passed by Yugi's grandfather to head upstairs, who promised to bring them some snacks and drinks. Once inside the small bedroom, Jonouchi jumped onto the bed and hung halfway off. "So what should we do now?" he asked.

"I'll give you something!" Hiroto challenged him, thinking it wise to jump on top of him and start a wrestling match. Anzu rolled her eyes and tried pulling them off of each other.

"Hey! Quit it with the rough housing!" Yugi shook his head at them and went right for the laptop on his desk, while Ryuji and Ryou flipped through the channels on television. While studying and homework was their intention, Yugi couldn't help checking own release dates for new cards. He logged onto the website for the game shop and checked the stock schedule.

"A new shipment next week...hitting the shelves in a month..." As he switched windows to begin homework research and scrolled past the trending news and entertainment section, he stumbled upon a video ready to be played, reccommended by another dueling website. "What's this?" The preview image for the video showed a hand holding up a photo of Seto Kaiba attached to some Blue Eyes White Dragon printouts. 'The Truth Behind The Blue Eyes', it was called. He was used to finding internet videos about Kaiba every now and then, many swearing they had inside knowledge on his dueling techniques. He clicked the video and was directed to another site, where the video began to load. As it loaded, he scrolled down to the comments and views. There were already 4,000 comments and nearly 600,000 views, and the video had only been up for four hours. It finished loading and Yugi hit the play button, turning up the volume. Within the first two seconds, he let out a surprised shriek that got his friends' full attention. "Guys!" The rest of the group gathered around his laptop and immediately gave the same reaction, muting the television to listen to the video. Sandra was in the center of the shot, in a different outfit, holding a picture of Kaiba in a dueling pose.

"Oh, shit..." Jonouchi whispered.

"Hey there, guys," she started. "MasterFL99 reporting in to all my dedicated fans. It's that time of the week again: time for a 'Duelist of the Week' rant. Take a guess as to who's the subject this time. I'm here to talk to you about an iconic figure of sorts: Seto Kaiba. Now we all know him as the guy who organized Battle City and created Duel Disks. I know, great accomplishment for someone who's only sixteen and rich beyond his wildest dreams. But there is another side to him, kids. That side is the one I know him as: an egotistical dick with a BIG dragon fetish. He's the type of person who can't even pay a high class whore enough to spend the night in his house." She put down the picture and picked up a new paper, showing it to the viewers. "You see this, people? This is Kaiba's credit card bill. Don't ask how I got it. I'm just that good." Jonouchi and Hiroto were starting to die of laughter, and Ryou appeared horrified. "Now if you look at the charge from a few weeks ago, it says that our dear Dragon Boy paid 4,848,900 yen to create a security system for his precious jizz dragons. You know what that is in Canadian dollars? Over CA$ 50,000! Well guess what, Kaiba?" She reached into her pocket and pulled out a Blue Eyes White Dragon card. "You know, security systems aren't always better if they're expensive. Anyway, back to your dragon fetish. No girl will ever want to be with you, look at you, smell you, and ESPECIALLY sleep with you, not in any amount of eternities. And do you wanna know WHY?" She pulled up another piece of paper from the table next to her. This one had a drawing or Kaiba standing next to three people in Blue Eyes costumes. "Because unless you've got a tail, blue scaly skin and shoot lightning for no fucking reason, you're not good enough him. He'd much rather have a four way with holograms of his precious widdle babies than buy his own personal strip club. Kaiba, you'll never know what boobs feel like in your hands." She picked up a champagne glass filled with soda and toasted it. "Here's to you, ass wipe, and the balls you never had!" Sandra downed the entire glass of soda before reaching to the screen, which instantly went blank.

A pin could be heard dropping in the silence of the room. No one knew the proper reaction for the video. Hiroto and Jonouchi started out laughing when it started, but by the end, were both mouth agape and lost for breath. There were people out there who would rant about the infamous young CEO, that much was true. But what Sandra filmed was beyond slander, and if Kaiba ever saw it, she was in done.

* * *

Over at KaibaCorp, the entire building was silent. The only sound that could be heard was that of Sandra's voice, all throughout the building, through computer speakers. Mokuba, the younger of the Kaiba brothers, was on his way to the CEO's office, when he suddenly saw an office phone fly out of the room. When the coast was clear, Mokuba poked his head into the office. Seto, his brother, had his fists clenched on top of his desk. "Uhm...big brother?"

"You're in deep shit now, MasterFL99..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sandra's appearance: https://infernalblossom.deviantart.com/art/Sandra-Evans-204702814


	2. Another Mark on the Chart

Kaiba's fists shook and his body rattled as he leaned on his desk. "She's got some nerve," he muttered, ignoring his brother's presence. "How dare that bitch slander my name!" His hands slammed onto the surface. Mokuba jumped backwards at the slamming sound, his sight still concentrated on his older brother. He himself hadn't seen the video yet, but with the commentary he'd overheard the staff murmuring and the seething rage visible on Seto's face, he had a feeling this one wasn't like others from the past. Kaiba closed his eyes and drew in a slow, deep breath. He needed to relax and clear his head so he could figure out a solution to this mess. He opened one eye, glancing at the paused video, which showed the ginger teen behind the slander. His eyebrows drew inward as he scowled at her face. "Looks like I'll have to convince her to take this trash down. Hopefully she's smart enough to listen." Kaiba reached into his blazer pocket and fished out a silver flask. It had a Blue Eyes wrapping around its entirety, with the head forming the cap. He unscrewed the cap and took a long sip of its contents, not caring that his younger brother watched at that point. Mokuba shook his head as he watched. Ever since the end of Battle City and the destruction of the finals island, Seto had become easily stressed and irritated, thus resulting in him taking up drinking. He didn't approve of his older brother's so-called cure for the stress, nor did he know how he was able to get away with it. Perhaps immunity from certain laws came with the power of being the teenage CEO of a multi-billion dollar company; then again, people were much too scared of Seto's attitude and impulsiveness to even think of confronting him on the matter. He knew, though, there was very little he could do about it. "Mokuba." Hearing Seto's voice snapped him back to what was going on around him.

"Yes, Seto?"

"I have a job for you." Kaiba closed the flask and returned it to his blazer pocket. He spun the laptop around so the younger Kaiba could see the image of the video's creator. "Find out everything you can about this girl: name, age, address, EVERY detail. I'm going to put a stop to her." Mokuba nodded and ran out of the office to get started on his task. The sooner he got it done, the sooner Seto would stop throwing office phones. "I'll make sure she pays for this."

* * *

"Oh my god, this chick's suicidal," Hiroto finally managed to say. "Okay, so what if Kaiba's an asshole? She's gonna have a hit put out on her for this!"

"Well someone's gotta talk some sense into her before she gets in more trouble!" Jonouchi added.

"Well you can count me in. The sooner we find her, the sooner I can get her number," Ryuji said, crossing his arms. "First things first: we need to find out where she is." He began thinking of places they could find Sandra. School had resumed on a Friday that year, so they wouldn't see her there until after the weekend. And they knew it'd probably be too late by then.

Yugi tapped a finger on the desk. "I do remember seeing Sandra carrying a skateboard. She'd probably be hanging out at a skate park... I think there's one about two kilometers-"

"I see her!" Ryou yelled before the thought was finished. He pointed to the window and all eyes immediately looked through the glass, seeing Sandra rolling down the block on her skateboard. Ryou pulled open the window and leaned out halfway, waving his arms to get her attention, with Hiroto trying his best to push through what little space was left between his friend and the pane. "Sandra!" he yelled again as she approached the game shop. "Hey, slow down!" He looked closer at her and spotted her gray headphones covering her ears. "She's got her music on. She won't be able to hear us."

While the two of them yelled for her attention with no success, Anzu and the others ran outside as fast as they could. Sandra reached the shop and didn't see anyone trying to gain her attention. "At this rate, she'll keep going without seeing us." Anzu ran off the curb, waving her arms to the transfer student. She managed to catch Sandra's attention for a second, but quickly lost it as she saw a large yellow bubble form in front of her fact. Sandra barely saw Anzu running her way and the brunette leaped out of her path as the transfer student swerved by. Anzu caught her footing and yelled, "Delinquent!" to the girl who refused to listen.

"Looks like we'll literally have to grab her," Jonouchi told his friends. "I'm gonna make a run for it." He made a mad dash down the street in an attempt to stop Sandra, but she was gradually picking up speed, forcing him to stop and catch his breath after a few minutes. "She's too fast!" And Sandra went even faster, right towards the changing traffic light the others were sure she didn't notice. A limousine rolled toward the intersection from the left, and Sandra was too distracted by her headphones to see the impending danger. "Look out!" Jonouchi yelled, hoping she'd hear him.

And she somehow did. She finished adjusting her headphones just in time to hear the limousine headed toward her honking. "Whoa!" Sandra veered to the right, barely avoiding the limo's grill, and slipped off of her skateboard. The board flew through the air and crashed into the back window of the limousine, hitting its sole passenger straight across the nose. Sandra scraped against the pavement and rolled around a few times before coming to a stop, dazed and unaware of the limo braking right beside her. "...Damn...car..." Her shaky arms and legs prevented her from pushing herself off the pavement. "Shit..." Finally rolling onto her back, Sandra heard familiar voices call out to her.

"Oh my god! Are you okay?" Anzu yelled. Sandra managed to sit up, not yet realizing the extent of her injuries. She had a large open wound on her chin that had started bleeding, and Anzu shrieked when her eyes fell on the wound. "Y-y-your chin's falling apart!" Sandra flashed a fake 'a-okay' smile and motioned to do a thumbs up, but felt a sting in her arm that radiated from shoulder to fingertip. Her entire forearm and elbow were scraped raw, burning red and dripping more blood. Anzu shrieked again, nearly going for a third time when her eyes were drawn to the long gash covering most of Sandra's lower leg and knee. "What were you thinking? You should've been watching the road!"

Sandra only shrugged as she was helped up by Ryuji, wincing from the stinging of her wounds. "I should've been watching the road? HE was the one speeding! He was in MY way! I had the light!" She pulled against Ryuji's hold to go over to the limo but remained in his grasp when pain shook through her body.

Anzu slapped her forehead in dismay at Sandra's explanation. "Are you kidding me? You were completely oblivious to the light changing! You rolled right into oncoming traffic!"

While Anzu continued to scold Sandra, Hiroto and Jonouchi went to check on the passenger in the limousine. "Hey!" Hiroto yelled. "You alright in there?" The limo driver frantically stepped out from the front and ran to the back door as the boys yanked it open.

"M-M-Master Kaiba!"

The driver went white and began hyperventilating. Jonouchi and Hiroto looked through the shattered back window of the vehicle and saw Kaiba leaning on the windowless side door, holding his nose with a blood covered hand. Broken glass lay everywhere, and Sandra's skateboard lay a few inches in front of him, amazingly showing no evidence of any type of impact. Kaiba glared up at the blond and sneered. "The hell are you just standing there for?" he snarled. "Go call someone before I break YOUR nose in!" His eyes shifted over to the unblocked portion of what used to be a window and saw Sandra with her arm around Ryuji's neck. "It's...her..." he stammered, realizing who had caused this. His free hand tightened into a fist and his knuckles whitened.

Jonouchi turned around for a moment and yelled, "Ryou! Call the paramedics quick! He's got blood coming out of his nose!" Imagining the sight nearly made him dizzy, but Ryou managed to stay conscious and aware as he pulled his cellphone from his pocket. Anzu and Ryuji sat Sandra on the curb while Hiroto and the limo driver helped a reluctant Kaiba out of the vehicle. Sirens were soon heard as a crowd began to gather and Yugi waved his arms to flag them down to the scene.

The paramedics acted quickly when the ambulances parked, pulling Sandra and Kaiba onto stretchers to start on-sight treatment. Yugi's friends backed off to allow the professionals to do their job. Kaiba was packed into the truck and whisked off right away, given his status and the amount of blood pouring from his face. Sandra was surprisingly calm as the EMTs started treating her wounds, even after hearing that she would need stitches in her chin. She tried turning down Yugi's offer to meet with her at the hospital to no avail. They followed behind the ambulance in Ryuji's car, still trying to process what had just occurred. When they arrived, Ryou had managed to get ahold of one of the doctors treating Kaiba and Sandra. "Mr. Kaiba's been treated. He suffered no severe damage or broken bones and is in the process of being released," one of them told the group. "As for you other friend, she'll have to stay for another hour or two. She's a bit loopy from being sedated so we could stitch up the gash on her chin, but she can communicate just fine."

"Can we go in and see her?" Yugi asked. The doctors nodded and led the group to Sandra's room in the emergency department. They could hear her laughing hysterically as they walked in, seemingly oblivious to the damage she'd sustained in the accident. They spotted a man standing next to her bed, who seemed to be the one making her laugh so hard. He had the same complexion and ginger hair as Sandra, a backwards baseball cap and sunglasses, and a toothpick sticking out from between his teeth.

Sandra's gaze caught the group walking in. "Hey, guys! Wassup?" Her concentration landed on Yugi, continuing, "Oh my god, Yooogiiiii! C'mere, buddy!" He approached the side of the bed, glancing at the man beside her.

"So," the man started, "you must be the crew who found my wreck of a sister." He stuck out his hand toward Yugi and shot him a big grin, shaking the teenager's entire body with the handshake. "Jack Evans, nine time motocross champion of Canada. Nice to meet ya, squirt!"

"H-Hey! That hurts!" Yugi groaned pitifully, trying to pull his arm out of her grip.

"Jack, don't pull off his arm!" Sandra yelled to him, laughing even harder and snorting a little. "I don't think it grows back... Does it?"

"Alright alright, that's enough outta youse." Jonouchi intervened, unwrapping the siblings' grips from Yugi's forearm, leaving him to nurse his injured limb. "So what, we're s'posed to leave Sandra with this Class-A dick bag? I dunno...Doesn't feel right." He crossed his arms, giving Jack a skeptical look.

"Pfft!" Jack's laughter roared through the small room. "Aw, relax, little man. I'll take care of my little sister when I take her home tonight." He gave Jonouchi a friendly punch in the arm. He hadn't been prepared for it, though, and stumbled back a few feet. Sandra to burst out laughing again and clapped her hands.

"You got 'im fur shure, bro!" she slurred, suddenly hiccuping, and giggled again after hearing the sound.

Based on his personality, no one was that surprised to learn Jack was her older brother. Anzu huffed at the thought of there being multiple troublemakers in the family. She glanced from the brother back to Sandra, who was in yet another fit of giggling after discovering that she had ten fingers.

Ryou had propped himself against the wall next to her bed, standing quietly as he observed the interactions. He wasn't sure what to say to Sandra or about the situation. While listening in on everyone's conversations, Ryou's eyes wandered the room. He first watched the IV drip, then followed the trip line to her wrapped arm, then he looked down at the table by Sandra's stretcher. Her belongings were stacked on top and her skateboard lay on the side of the table: wallet, some money, and a necklace. It was a nice necklace - an amulet, upon closer inspection. The yellow gold metal wasn't very thick, maybe six centimeters at the most. It almost resembled armor with the way the metal plates overlapped one another, and shaped like. At the top was a small loop, which had a long chain going through it. On the front and facing the ceiling was an eye...wait, that wasn't right. Ryou rubbed his eyes, yet the eye on the amulet remained. The shape resembled the eye of Horus- His own widened. No, that wasn't possible. There were only seven Millennium Items in existence, and the last time he heard from anyone who had or guarded one, a Millennium Amulet wasn't on the list. It had to be a fake, he told himself; that was the only explanation.

Something stirred in Ryou's stomach. His abdomen bubbled and churned in a discomforting manner. He closed his eyes and wrapped an arm around his stomach, taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm his nerves. "...What's wrong with me? I hope I didn't get food poisoning from today's lunch..." But when he opened his eyes and happened to glance at the amulet again, just for a split second, the churning in his body became erratic. "Oh my-" Ryou clasped a hand over his mouth and ran out of the room, speeding down the hall to the nearest men's room. He quickly locked the one-stall space and fell to his knees in front of the toilet as he vomited everything in his stomach. A few minutes passed and relief finally hit him when his body emptied. Ryou flushed his former bowel contents away and weakly stumbled over to the sink to rinse out his mouth, still having no idea why he felt so horrible. The pain spread from his stomach throughout his torso, snaring his lungs and rattling his heart. The room was going fuzzy. He managed to catch himself on the countertop before blacking out and hitting the floor. He laid there, motionless for a moment, until his eyes shot open and his back arched in agony. Ryou's hands roamed the floor frantically until strength returned to his arms and legs, and he was able to stand once more. He grabbed hold of the counter once more and leaned toward the mirror to stare at his reflection. His eyes had become fiercer, darker, as did his scowl and hair.

"So..." Bakura said to his reflection, "she's back, huh?" His grip loosened as he went to rinse out the remnants of Ryou's response to his emotions, wishing there had been a bottle of mouthwash around somewhere. Bakura pulled up his shirt and watched in his reflection as a twisted mass of flesh revealed itself on his chest. He could feel the Millennium Ring resonating within him, demanding an escape. He bit his lower lip until it bled, choking back a scream as the mystical object seared through his skin, embedding itself in the scar on his chest and leaving thin trails of blood cascading down his torso. As he wiped the blood trickling from his mouth, a sudden memory flashed in his mind: A woman in his embrace, a long kiss, blood on a knife, and lifeless eyes staring at him as the soul left the body. A name rang in his head, in the tone of the voice from the past, the one voice that made his soul shudder and his knees weaken.

Bakura held his face in his hands, now shaking, trying hard to keep himself from punching the mirror. "Five thousand years after your death, yet you still haunt me..." He moved a hand down to his pocket and yanked out a pocket knife, flipping out the blade. He opened his hand, palm up, and pulled the tip of the blade across his skin, from his thumb to the base of his ring finger. "Not even a knife could stop you..." Bakura stared at the blade and his blood for a second more, and a devious smirk came across his face as he licked the red iron-flavored liquid from the knife. "I suppose I'll just have to fix that, then, huh?" He began to laugh a little before pushing the blade back into its handle and throwing the knife in his pocket.

Within two hours the sedative had worn off. Sandra's laughter ceased and she sat still, a hand over her face as pain began to riddle her. With her about her wits again, Yugi and his friends were able to approach her about the actions she'd taken earlier that day. "Hey, Sandra," he started, looking worried, "what's with that video you made today?"

"Huh?"

"Don't act like you don't know," Anzu cut it. "You made a video after you cut class. The one about Kaiba? Remember?"

She stared up at the ceiling. "Oh, right. That one. Yeah, that's one of those weekly specials I do on my page." Sandra smiled, but it vanished when she saw the looks on everyone's faces. "Okay, you're obviously not telling me something. What is it?" Ryuji sat on the chair next to her and, not to his friends' surprise, took her hand.

"You've set up a death sentence for yourself. TWICE. We're all sure Kaiba has seen the video by now, and is probably in a fit of rage about it. He'll do whatever possible to make sure you're reprimanded for it."

"So?" She snatched her hand away. "There's nothing he can do about the video. Once something's on the web, it's there forever. Everyone knows that!" She shrugged, but stopped when the pain resurfaced through her arm. "And what do you mean, twice? The video's the only thing I did." She noticed Yugi twiddling his fingers, and stared at him until he felt uncomfortable.

"Well...how do I put this?" He nervously held onto the chain around his neck. "It was Kaiba's limo that almost hit you. And...your skateboard almost broke his nose."

Her hands hit the metal frame of the stretcher as she shot up. "What?" The throbbing increased with the sudden impact and she winced, holding her arm.

Hiroto leaned against the wall. "Yeah, he was hurt pretty bad. But the doctor said nothing was broken, so they cleaned him up and released him-"

"I can't believe that ass tried to kill me!" she yelled, feeling another round of stinging hit her chin. "He was really trying to kill me! What the hell's wrong with him?"

Jonouchi shook his head. "That's what we've been trying to tell you, but you're always listenin' to your music and not us! Kaiba's a dick, yes, but he's also dangerous. You gotta be careful of what you say around him."

"And we all think it's best," Anzu finished, "if you took down the video."

Sandra crossed her arms. "Nope. Not happening."

"Are those injuries of yours NOT a reminder of how vicious he is?"

"Yeah, but so what? Someone has to put him in his place. Nobody else was willing to do it, so I did." Jack pat her shoulder and smiled wide. The others automatically knew where she'd learned it from.

Jonouchi sighed. "Fine, whatever. I s'pose we'll just have to back you up if he decides to do somethin' about it."

"Whatever. You're throwing yourselves into the fire," she replied.

Anzu sat down on the edge of the stretcher. "Sandra, we know what we're doing. But we're doing it because that's what friends do for each other."

"Oh...you're one of _those_ people, aren't you?" Sandra's face twisted again, in the same manner as when she saw the lesson being written in Japanese.

Anzu happened to pull out her cellphone when she saw an unread message appear on the screen. "I just got a text from Ryou. He said he's not feeling well, and decided to go home to rest." A frown came onto her face.

"He wasn't looking too good when he bolted," Hiroto responded. "It's probably a good idea."

The doctor came in sooner than expected and felt Sandra was well enough to go home. He handed some papers to her brother. "Make sure she takes those painkillers only when necessary, otherwise she'll be out of it again." He checked her over one last time and gave her instructions before leaving the group to themselves.

"I guess we won't be seeing you at school on Monday, then," Yugi said to her, almost appearing sad as he stared at the floor.

"Are you kidding?" His head popped up. "You think these little scrapes are gonna keep me from doing anything? It's not like I'm made of glass!" Slowly with her brother's help, Sandra lifted herself off the stretcher. "Although, I'll have to get a new uniform. I doubt this one will satisfy those teachers."

"Make sure it's the right one this time," she heard Anzu say under her breath. She swore she also heard "delinquent" covered by a cough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sandra's necklace: http://farlang.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Necklace-with-falcon-pendant.jpg (eye of Horus added in red circle)


	3. How to Convince Me

The alarm clock buzzed at 8am, beeping every two seconds as the sleeping form on the bed beside it grumbled and hid their face in the pillow. Why did alarm clocks have to be so damn annoying, Sandra wondered. The sound made her want to shove needles into her ears, but that would mean sacrificing her music, so she slapped the snooze button with her good hand until the sound ceased. Sandra rolled onto her side and pulled the blanket up to her nose, mentally kicking herself for forgetting to switch off the alarm. There was no need to be harassed by the beeps so early on a Saturday morning. She stared at the ceiling with half-lidded eyes, counting in her head and waiting to fall asleep again. But instead of shuteye came throbbing in her face and limbs. "Come on," she groaned, "just a few more hours." Why wasn't the medication working when she needed it to most? With sleep avoiding her, Sandra decided to inspect how her wounds were healing. She threw the covers off and dragged her body over to the full-length mirror hanging from her closet door. She lifted the right leg of her pajama pants and winced as she poked at the stitched gash wrapped in gauze and tape, then repeated the ritual on her elbow. For her chin she slowly peeled back the bandage and squinted at the sight of the stitches spanning from the left corner of her lip to under the right side of her jaw. "Jesus... I'm gonna kill him someday." Somehow the teen didn't believe the pain from the accident would get that bad, even after having been raked against the ground countless times in the pass while skateboarding; then again, she'd never been (nearly) hit by a car before. This would be felt for at least a week, she concluded. Yugi and his posse had to be over exaggerating about the rich bitch, Sandra thought when her mind drifted, even looking past the accident. She was just glad her precious skateboard was intact.

Sandra reset her bandages in place. Now that she was wide awake, she needed something to entertain her before she gouged her eyes out from boredom. What was there for her to do in Domino Prefecture on a weekend? She'd only been in the city for a few weeks - barely enough time for her to map her way around like she did Vancouver. She was lucky she'd had her phone to remind her of the directions from her home to the high school. No one else in her school seemed to be the skater type, so there went the idea of stalking someone. Then she recalled the student who kept tossing her notes during the first class of the previous day. He managed to milk her number out of her before she left the hospital; why she allowed it, she didn't know, and would momentarily blame it on the morphine. "Think of how convenient it'll be for you," the green-eyed dog had explained to her. "You need a translator, so you need a way to contact me." He could be of more use to her than she realized... But before she considered taking the risk, Sandra opened a mapping app on her phone to try and locate the nearest skate park. To her dismay she couldn't concentrate on scrolling through the map long enough to find a spot and she sighed.

"What was that guy's name again?" she asked herself as she stared at the ceiling. "Uhh...it started with a 'R', I think..." Glancing to her side table, she found the paper with his name and number, and brought it close to her face to read. "Oh, Ryuji. Right. That's his name." Sandra stared at the torn paper corner and her expression began to morph into one of disgust. "Am I REALLY about to call this horn dog at eight in the morning to find out where the closest skate park is?" After staring at the paper for a few minutes more, she sighed again and muttered, "Yes, I am," as she grabbed her phone and dialed his number. She laid the receiver on her ear and listened to the dial tone until she heard grumbling on the other end of the line.

"Mmm...hello?"

"Rise and shine, dude," Sandra sarcastically replied. "I need directions. Where's the nearest skate park?"

She heard some shifting and grunting; he'd probably just woken up when she called. "...Sandra?" he finally asked. "It's eight in the morning. Is something wrong?"

"I just asked you. Where's the nearest skate park?"

More grunting flowed into her ears, followed by a yawn. "Look, I can pick you up later and take you there myself. We can get some lunch on the way there, if you want. Just give me your address." Silence loomed over the phone line for a moment.

"Uhh...if I'm correct, those aren't directions." She could practically hear him rolling his eyes, but with the way he was oogling her in class she knew she'd get her way. He gave her the directions to a skate park a mile away from their school and she thanked him, hanging up when he was in the middle of another attempt to ask her out. "Well that took longer than I thought. Now..." Sandra tossed the paper and her phone back onto the nightstand and flopped backwards onto her bed. "I REALLY need to get some more sleep." She pulled the blankets back over her body and closed her eyes, waiting for sleep to overtake her. It took a while but she finally managed to fall back to sleep; relief, however, only lasted for two hours, and she was yet again woken up by a loud noise. A little boy's voice called her name on the other side of her bedroom door. She looked at her alarm clock and saw it was only ten in the morning. "Oh, for the love of crap..." Sandra reluctantly rolled out of bed and pulled open her door, staring down at the young ginger boy standing in front of her. "What the hell are you doing?"

The boy just stared up at her with a smile plastered on his face. "Come on, Sanj!" he yelled again. "Mom's making pancakes! You're gonna miss breakfast!"

Sandra hit her hand to her face. Of course her younger brother would wake her up for something as minute as pancakes. "Jason, I was sleeping! You know I don't like to be woken up before twelve on Saturdays." Her brother just stared at her, tilting his head slightly to the left and turning the puppy eyes on her. "Come on, man. Don't do that." He pouted his lip, looking as if he was seconds away from bawling. Sandra groaned, rubbed the back of her head, and sighed for a third time that morning. Jason's expression quickly changed back to glee and he grabbed Sandra's hand to drag her down to the kitchen. She knew she was going to regret it.

Giving in to her nine year old freckle-stricken brother was at the bottom of the list of things that annoyed Sandra that morning. Sure, the smell and taste of the pancake breakfast made her feel a bit better. But then Jack decided to greet his little sister with, "Good morning, roadkill. Did you have trouble getting off the side of the road this morning?" and he broke out in laughter. That, in turn, caused her mother to begin nagging her about how she should've been watching the road, and how she's momma's only little girl, and that nothing could ever replace her in the family. She zoned out and lost track of what her mother was saying for a moment until she heard the irritating snapping of her mother's fingers right beside her ear and flinched.

"Mom!"

"I'm glad I have your attention now." She cupped her hands around Sandra's cheeks so their eyes met. "Sweetheart, all I'm asking is for you to be careful. You're the only daughter I'll ever have. I've already lost the only person I can put in an adorable pink dress with bows in her hair and talk about girly things to..." A few tears welled in the corners of her eyes, and Sandra rolled her own.

"Ma, come on... Don't you look at me like that, too. I already got enough of that from Jason." Her mother released her face and resumed eating breakfast, though her protective gaze never left her daughter. Sandra did her best to ignore it until breakfast ended, and then she was free to get ready to head to the skate park. Her mother tried to persuade her that it was too soon after her accident to go skating, but as expected, Sandra refused to listen.

As she finished dressing and was about to step out, her mother tugged on her non-injured wrist and pulled her back inside. "Honey, you forgot to put on your necklace." Oh...THAT. Her mother was referring to the gold bird-shaped amulet with the weird eye on the front of it. Sandra groused. "You promised me you'd wear it every day." Yes, and she was starting to regret it, but promising to wear the strange gold jewelry every day was the only way to get her to not cry over the fact that she didn't have a girly girl for a daughter. It wasn't even good looking; the bit of blue, red and green paint on it was chipping off and the metal was way worn down, no matter how many times the jeweler cleaned it and swore it was real gold. Sandra, on the other hand, tried to convince her mother that the market she got it at while on a business trip to Egypt three years before screwed her over and sold the oblivious woman a knock-off of ancient jewelry, but the woman refused to hear it. And every day, she made sure that her precious little girl would abide by her promise, not letting her leave the house until she put the chain around her neck and the amulet was proudly displayed over her shirt. So Sandra reluctantly ran back up to her room and kept her promise to Mommy. She bolted downstairs for the third time that morning and out the door, tossing her skateboard onto the ground and rolling away before anyone could protest further. She flew down the streets that led to her high school, making sure to actually obey the traffic laws for once so there wouldn't be a repeat of the previous day's events. Sandra was more than surprised to find the directions so easy for her to follow, only had to follow numbers and simple characters so there was barely a language barrier. She blasted her music and pushed off the ground to pick up speed as the skatepark came into view. It was only a few blocks away. She just had to get through a few more lights and she'd be in the clear.

At the entrance of the skate park, Ryuji, Yugi and Hiroto were leaning against the gate, waiting for Sandra to arrive. They had no idea when she was supposed to get there or if she ever remembered the directions she'd been given. "I'm telling you guys," Hiroto repeated, "she's gonna get lost trying to find this place."

"I highly doubt that," Yugi replied. "Didn't you hear how many times she was asking if her skateboard was alright? She's practically married to it." Ryuji choked a bit when he heard that and Hiroto laughed a little. That earned the brunet a slap to the back of his head.

"What? He speaks the truth." Hiroto happened to glance over to the road when his eyes narrowed to a squint, then quickly widened. "Hey, I think I see her. She's down there!" He pointed to a figure moving closer to him and wearing a bright red helmet, which they recognized as hers right away. Yugi started waving in her direction to try and gain her attention, but of course, she was too busy adjusting her headphones and blowing a gum bubble large enough to obstruct her view of the trio waiting for her.

A small black sedan rolled to a stop beside Sandra when the light changed to red. Ryuji didn't know why, but something about the way the car stopped so perfectly next to her felt...weird. He didn't know how else to word it, though the longer he lingered on the thought, the quicker his worries lessened. But then the back door nearest Sandra swung open and two men in suits and sunglasses stepped out. "Huh. Looks like some kind of Secret Service guys-" Ryuji stopped mid-sentence when he saw one of the men grab Sandra from behind in a bear hug as his partner seized her swinging legs. Sandra kicked and squirmed against their grip as she was shoved into the car, a burlap sack thrown over her head. "Holy shit!" Ryuji yelled, and he broke into a sprint towards the street. The suited men scrambled back into the car and drove off, rubber peeling on the asphalt as Sandra's skateboard rolled casually by. "Hey, stop!"

"Oh my god!" Yugi yelled. Sandra was just kidnapped right before their eyes! "We've got to go after them!" All three teens ran for Ryuji's car, Hiroto hopping to the other side of the street to save Sandra's skateboard before jumping in. For the second time that week, they were tailing a car that carried the transfer student inside of it – only this time, they had no idea where the car was heading, and the car was lost in traffic before they could catch up. Ryuji smacked his hand against the wheel.

"Dammit! There's got to be another way to find her."

"Yeah, but how?"

* * *

Sandra wondered why her captors hadn't just knocked her out when they dragged her ass into the back of their car. Their hands on her injuries were enough to keep her from struggling too much against their grip. Whoever the men clad in suits and aviators were threw a thick sack over her head and bound her hands with what felt like rope secured with duct tape. She had no idea who could possibly want to kidnap her or where she was being taken. She wasn't worth much of anything; sure, her brother had a lot of fame to his name thanks to his motocross career, but she doubted anyone in Japan would give a damn about that. So this is how it would end, Sandra thought: taken captive in Japan, barely a month into starting her 'new life' there with her family, stuck breathing in the scent of the sack - which smelled an awful lot like a mix of wet dog, feet, and old marijuana - until she was either released or offed by her captor. But for all she knew, she could've suffocated long before she was discovered to be missing. There was no point in her screaming; it wasn't like anyone would hear her through the windows. And the fact that someone had the audacity to hoist her over their shoulder as if she were an old sweaty gym bag made her thrash a little. The only response she got was a deliberate nudge to her side from her handler's elbow and a," Shut up and stay still," slightly muffled by the sack.

The complaining of her handler, along with the nudging to her side and the low annoying Japanese broadcast on the radio, finally ceased when she felt the car jerk to a halt. The doors opened and she was ripped from the car, led through what sounded like sliding glass doors, and across some sort of tile floor. Gasps were audible as Sandra was dragged forward and suddenly to the right, then held in place for a while. An elevator, she assumed based on the way her body was thrown around by gravity. Out the elevator she was pushed and they made a sharp right, walked a little, and two lefts in succession, until something clicked in front of her. One of the goons ushered her forward and yanked on her shoulder when she stumbled far enough, then pushed her into what she believed to be a chair based on the way the hard surface hit her back and behind. "Finally!" she complained when she felt the hands retreat from her body. Another clicking sound accompanied her short-lived freedom and when she leaned forward, she realized her hands were now bound behind the chair. "Hey, get this fucking bag off of my head! It stinks like pot in here!" The burlap sack was removed from her head as requested and light flooded into her pupils, making her close her eyes fast as they adjusted to the sudden increase in illumination. Sandra drew in a long breath of fresh air. "Jesus! Seriously, man. If you're gonna kidnap someone, use something that smells better!" Her eyes adjusted to the lighting and scanned the room, finding her surroundings to be an office-type setting with a large desk just feet away from her. The windows at the other end spanned from floor to ceiling, and a figure stood before them, their back facing her. "Oh, great, another goon in a monkey suit." Sandra tilted her head to the right as the man folded his hands behind his back.

"MasterFL99, right?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Yeah. What's it to you?"?

"Unbeknownst to you," he continued, "you've stirred up quite a shit storm. If there's one thing I hate more than anything, it's someone pissing in my coffee. And do you know what you're doing?" He spun around and marched toward his prisoner until his form towered over her, and leaned far enough down when they were nearly eye level. "You're pissing in my coffee."

Sandra's brow furrowed as she leaned as close as the restraints allowed her to. The man before her seemed agitated, to say the least. A calm, seething rage burned bright against the cerulean hue of his eyes. His hair, a chocolate brown, was cut into a mullet crop that fell neatly to the nape of his neck. A bandage laid over the bridge of his nose, concealing some of the bruising around his stare. And his voice was cold, almost familiar, though she knew for a fact she'd never personally met her kidnapper before. She couldn't contain her devious smirk. "Well well well...Seto fucking Kaiba. To what do I owe the honor of this audience with you?" Sandra settled back in her seat. "You know, if you wanted to meet me so badly, you could've just sent an email."

Kaiba tightened his fists behind his back. "For the sake of me not shooting you in the face," he began, "I'll make this simple for you." He pointed to the open laptop on his desk, the screen facing Sandra and displaying her paused internet video on full screen. "This? This needs to be gone. And you're going to be the one to get rid of it."

"Are you referring to my masterpiece?" Sandra blew a gum bubble until it was inches from the tip of his nose and popped it. "And why would I do that? It's my most popular video yet. My popularity has skyrocketed since I posted it; it's not going anywhere." Kaiba closed his eyes and stood tall again. Without saying another word, he marched back to his desk and opened a drawer to retrieve a set of spiked brass knuckles, and waved them in her face.

"Are we gonna have a problem here?"

At first glance, the brass knuckles seemed intimidating. She actually feared for her safety momentarily. But upon closer inspection, she realized the actual knuckles were made up of four miniature Blue Eyes White Dragon heads. The fear was lost in the laughter that suddenly filled the room from her lungs, stunning the sentries standing guard beside the office door. "Oh my god, you can't be serious! How did I NOT expect that to be themed around your jazz dragons?"

"Okay," Kaiba growled, sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose, "so we ARE going to have a problem, apparently. Look, kill that video, or – to put it bluntly – I'm personally going to fuck you up. And I don't mean like the little scrapes you got yesterday." To make a point the CEO gestured his chin, signaling for one of his goons to grab Sandra by her hair and pull her head backwards until it bent at an uncomfortable angle. "I'm talking about a man-sized-beat-the-mouthy-bitch-out-of-your-skull ass kicking."

"Jesus-- Fuck!" she yelled. Her foot flew forward and kicked at the air.

Just as things were heating up, the door opened and a secretary stepped into the office. She opened her mouth to speak but froze when she caught sight of the scenario taking place in front of her. "...Is this a bad time, sir?"

"...That depends on what you've got to say to me," her boss said as he turned his attention to the large window across the room. The secretary's knees began to buckle. She gulped nervously and slowly made her way closer to Kaiba.

"Uhh... Well...you see, yesterday... The value of our stocks...MAY have...dropped a bit..."

The secretary immediately lifted her arms to shield herself from her CEO's screaming, but it never came. Instead, he reached over to her and pat her shoulder. "That's alright. Shit happens, right? Yes..." She calmed at his reassuring response and followed him to the window. Suddenly, Kaiba gripped the woman by her shoulders hard. "Now watch this shit happen." With one swift push, the secretary flew through the glass and out the window.

Sandra's jaw dropped. "Holy fuck!"

All Kaiba did was turn and press a button on his intercom. "Elena, get someone to fix this window. Suzy just retired."

"Okay, forget what I said in my video. THIS-" Sandra motioned to the window with her chin- "is why no woman will sleep with you!"

Kaiba returned his attention back to Sandra. "I'm not going to say this again. Take down the fucking video or-" He stopped short when he heard Suzy's body land on a car. "...Or you're going to have a bad time. Capiche?"

"You're concerned about me taking down that video when you just fucking KILLED someone? Are you out of your fucking mind?"

The CEO unscrewed the flask he'd pulled out from his blazer pocket and took a long sip of its contents. "What do you want me to say? No?" He wiped the alcohol from his lips. "Look, she was stupid. Stupid people die. Sandra Evans...don't be stupid."

"You... I... She..." Sandra was at a loss for words. "What the fuck, man?" The shock from what happened caused her to nearly swallow her gum, and she coughed until it came back up.

"So? You'll be taking down that video, right? Because that pre-mentioned ass kicking is still on the table."

Sandra stared at him, still in a bit of shock over what she just saw. "...So if I take it down...I get to live. And if I DON'T take it down..."

Kaiba shrugged. "Yeah, that's pretty much the situation. And I'm aware of all the reposts there are. It's the internet, after all. You're responsible for those, too."

"W-what? How do you expect me to take care of those? The internet's like a rat spreading the Black Plague!"

He gave her a nonchalant look and shrugged his shoulders. "Then I suggest you put the silicone to the boobs and get it done."

Sandra bit her bottom lip. Her followers would question why the video had vanished; she knew that. It seemed Yugi and his friends were right when they warned her about crossing Kaiba. "...Fine, rich bitch, you win this round. But you can't hold me accountable when people start posting explicit drawings of you having four-ways with your jizz dragons on your Facebook fan page."

"Be clear," Kaiba interjected, crossing his arms. "I can hold you accountable for whatever the hell I think you're responsible for." He cleared his throat. "But you've done more than embarrass me across the internet; you've also compromised the security of my business. I don't believe JUST letting you keep your life will teach you a lesson." Kaiba paced in front of her as he contemplated a fitting punishment. "I could have you charged with robbery, you know, but you'll find I am a merciful man. I know you duel. I checked your records. So you'll be dueling me in front of the whole world, and they can watch me blow your ass to bits."

"Is that a challenge, Dragon Boy?" She scoffed and shook her head at him with a smug grin. "Because I can neuter you and your dragons in an OTK."

Kaiba shook his head at her. "Damn, I'm going to enjoy this. Be here tomorrow." He pressed a button on the intercom. "Elena, get the unpleasant girl that's about to pass you a Duel Disk, would you?"

"Alright, I'll be here," Sandra told him. Her gaze moved up to the ceiling. "...As soon as I figure out how to get here from my house."

"Elena will give you the directions. Now..." Kaiba cleared his throat again. "Get the fuck out of my sight."

Sandra sarcastically replied, "Gee, that sounds like a wonderful idea, Mr. CEO! But last I checked, my hands were restrained on the arms of this chair. So would you be a dear and set this little birdie free?" She leaned her head toward him again and bat her eyes, quickly changing into a pout. Kaiba groaned and snapped his fingers. One of his sentries unlocked her handcuffs and cut the rope from her wrists.

"Go. Just get out." Sandra headed for the door, but spun around once she was in the doorway and faced him once more.

"Oh, you might want to bring a mop and bucket with you tomorrow. You're gonna need them so you can mop up all your sweat and tears when we learn who REALLY 'rides the dragons'." She continued onward down the hall, flipping him and the sentries the bird as she left. He growled and picked up his office phone receiver, throwing it out the door.

When Sandra got to the secretary's desk on the main floor, she was met with a woman nervously typing on a computer. She cleared her throat to get the woman's attention. "Oh," she started, "are you the girl here to pick up a Duel Disk?"

"I don't see anyone else here. Do you?"

"Right," she replied, and reached behind her. Elena picked up a large box and laid it on the counter near her. "The instructions are inside and are written in six languages, so you should be able to understand just fine." She turned away for a moment and came back with a paper. "These are the directions to return here. If you need to be picked up, call the number on the bottom and a limo will be sent to your residence-"

"Wait." Sandra held up a hand. "He knows where I live? Shit!" She smacked her hand against the box and sighed. "Oh, well. Guess there's nothing I can do about that." Sandra picked up the box. "I'll be needing another one of these in red. Gotta match my other outfits, you know." Elena hummed, annoyed, and Sandra waved goodbye to her. "Tell the ass wipe I said thanks for the free stuff."

With the help of other - less violent - sentries, Sandra found her way out of the building. She exited, and after walking down the stairs, turned and looked at the building. It was much more massive than she imagined. "At least the antenna doesn't have a Blue Eyes climbing it." As she started down the block, she noticed two men – similar in appearance to the ones who'd kidnapped her – lugging a large black bag into the back of another mysterious dark-colored car. "Probably Suzy heading to her retirement party." At the end of the block, she paused and stared at the paper with the directions. "Hold on... How do I get back home?"

"Well, we tried," Yugi said to his friends. They'd been driving around for over an hour, searching for Sandra and the car that her kidnappers used, without any luck. "I really hope she's alright." They were about to give up hope when Ryuji suddenly hit the brakes. "Whoa! A little warning next time, please?"

"You're alright!" Ryuji yelled, totally ignoring Yugi. He and Hiroto looked in front of the car to see Sandra stepping off the curb and Ryuji running to her. "My god, what happened? We saw some guys drag you into a dark car and jus drive off!"

Sandra waved off his worry and pushed his creeping hand away. "Relax. It was just Kaiba. He had some of his goons kidnap me so he could threaten me about the video, yadda yadda yadda. We're settling it with a duel tomorrow in the stadium behind his building. You know, I forgot he played the game."

"Whoa whoa, slow down there," Hiroto intervened. "Start from the beginning. You know how to duel?"

"Uhh, yeah!" Sandra huffed. "Look, I can explain everything to you. But I need a ride to my house first. I'm...lost." She shrugged her shoulders.

Ryuji grabbed her hand. "Of course I'll give you a lift!" he immediately replied, and pulled her into his car. Hiroto reluctantly moved to the back seat upon Ryuji's request and handed the transfer student her skateboard. They sped off and Sandra began to fill them in on the details of her encounter - and survival - with Kaiba.


	4. The Spanking

The news of the impending duel between Sandra and Kaiba spread like wildfire in a matter of minutes. Yugi, Hiroto and Ryuji informed the rest of their group, and passersby overheard the conversation on speaker phone, thus sending word to every person they could find. Soon all media outlets were in the know of the coming battle - no one knew exactly whether it was Kaiba's doing or the inability of Yugi's crew to keep tight lipped on the matter. Whatever the case, the stage was set for an over-the-top duel that one could compare to Battle City's publicity. Once home, Yugi called Jonouchi again to finalize their meet up for the following day. "Mmhm, it's at three tomorrow afternoon... Yeah, that's what I said. But it's her choice. It's not like we can stop it at this point. You know how persistent Kaiba is."

"Who's to say we can't at least try?" the blond questioned on the other end of the line.

"To stop a worldwide broadcast? There's only six of us; who knows how many media outlets are covering this. We can't find them all and keep them from covering it."

He heard Jonouchi groan. "Whatever. Let's just hope she knows who she's facing."

"With her personality, I think she's in denial." Yugi glanced at the time on his cable box. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow at three. Cross your fingers things go well." He hung up and set his phone to charge, worry swimming over him. What was she thinking, he asked himself mentally. People knew better than to cross Seto Kaiba; hell, he could've given Sandra nine reasons off the top of his head as to why she should hold her tongue when in his presence. Memories of Kaiba's playhouse of horrors flooded back to him and he shuddered. He had to get the thoughts of the groping roller coaster and nearly having his hand chopped off by a mini guillotine out of his head. Tapping his fingers on the nightstand, the teen decided to search the internet for information on Sandra's dueling history. She had to have participated in at least one competition back in Canada. The spirit of the puzzle sensed Yugi's anxiety as he jumped to his desk and typed furiously on the laptop, and materialized next to his chair.

 **"I haven't seen you this worried since Jonouchi's duel against Rishid,"** he said to his scion.

"This isn't like Battle City, Pharaoh. Kaiba isn't dueling for a championship this time. It's no holds barred, and in his territory." Yugi scrolled down a page and skimmed its contents, ignoring all those that mentioned the video she made days before. Everyone seemed to believed she'd lose. He moved onto the next site when he found nothing. "I just want to see if she's capable of facing him."

Yami remained silent, watching Yugi become frustrated as no answers came up. Sandra had no visible dueling history in Canada: no regionals, no nationals. Nothing. Perhaps her case was the same as his own when he first entered Duelist Kingdom; while it was a possibility, the chances were slim. **"If you ask me, it appears she wanted this. Her tone in the recording certainly said enough."** He crossed his arms. **"You know there's nothing we can do but support her from the sidelines."**

"I guess..." The young duelist sighed and closed his laptop.

**"All we can do is believe in her."**

* * *

Kaiba Land was packed the next morning: the rides full, long lines waiting to be next, and a crowd pouring toward the stadium in the center. Security was doubled around the stadium as spectators filled the seats and media swarmed around the entire perimeter. Cameras were positioned around the platform the duelists would occupy, testing their signals as a preliminary duel between two semi-pros was underway to open the act. And for all who couldn't get seats in time, monitors were set up all around the amusement park and in the town square, and tuned in to the live broadcast so spectators could watch.

In a room near the duelists' entrance, Kaiba pulled on his trademark sleeveless white coat and secured his Duel Disk in place. This was what he'd been waiting for all weekend. In mere minutes, his reputation as both a global superpower and a top-ranked duelist would be reinstated. The moment he and Sandra went out in front of all those people and cameras, he'd silence her insolent mouth once and for all. The best part of the entire show, he believed, would be the exact moment her life points fell to zero and the crowd chanted his name. Closing his eyes, he was able to imagine it all: Sandra falling to her knees, her deck scattering to the ground as she begged for forgiveness for her childish actions, while he towered over her and cackled away at her pleas. Just the thought of it brought a small smile to his face. "Soon the entire world will see Evans for the cowardly rat she is." Kaiba turned his attention to a mirror on the wall and studied his reflection. From the second she'd left his office her name scratched against his brain, clawing until he yelled and broke something to ease his rage. Not since Yugi Muto had anyone gotten under his skin so easily. In the back of his mind, he wondered why she'd go through all the trouble of pissing him off. He'd been slandered online before; so why couldn't he ignore this one? Everything about her aggravated him to no end, and had it not been for him spotting Mokuba walk into the room through the reflection, Kaiba might have needed another long swig from his flask. "Is everything ready to go, Mokuba?"

"All the camera crews are set up and online," the younger Kaiba replied, reading over a clipboard. "The reporters are all waiting for your first comments, and the last of the spectators have been seated." He turned over one of his papers. "According to one of the sentries, Yugi and his friends are among those in the stadium. They're seated near the south corridor."

"Of course those freaks showed up. As long as Evans gets here, I don't care who watches," Kaiba commented, rolling his eyes.

Mokuba took a few steps into the room. "Are you sure she'll show, Seto? You know most people decide to bail when you challenge them."

"I highly doubt she'd skip out," the elder brother answered. "Based on the information you gathered for me, I found out that Sandra Evans loves to be challenged, and won't back down when presented with one. She proved it when I interrogated her yesterday. That, and her mouth, are her greatest weaknesses." His smirk returned. "She'll tremble once she's face to face with all three of my Blue Eyes."

Their gazes moved to the clock on the wall. Ten to three. "Almost time for the duel to start. Ready to show her who's boss?" Kaiba nodded and Mokuba ran ahead of him out the door. The CEO placed his deck into its slot on the duel disk, and after looking himself over one last time, left the room to follow his brother. The hallway felt long. His pace quickened. Soon he was at the other end, and the light from the clear afternoon sky fell on him. As he stepped out into the open, the crowd began to cheer and chant his name. Every camera stayed focused on the young CEO as he scanned the masses. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yugi and his friends seated, just where Mokuba had said, and huffed. Today they'd see him as the champion he truly was as he defeated his opponent. His eyes drifted further down the rows and across to the eastern corridor, seeing the hundreds of faces of nobodies waiting for the show to begin. Through the screams and cheering he momentarily hears someone shout his opponent's name, and his gaze fell to the third row, where three people bearing a resemblance to Sandra sat. Her family, he assumed. His victory would be even sweeter with them witnessing her defeat.

As he neared the steps to the center ring a group of reporters and cameramen surrounded him. Sentries forced their way into the crowd and forced the reporters back, giving Kaiba space to breathe. They held out their microphones as close to the CEO as the guards allowed, and in the midst of the confusion, one reporter and her cameraman managed to push past a guard to get next to Kaiba. She cleared her throat and straightened her stance before gesturing a finger to her cameraman. "And what a beautiful day it is today here in Domino. This is Suzuki Hana, bringing you live to Kaiba Land Stadium, where a special exhibition match is about to start. I'm here with world famous dueling champion and Kaiba Corporation CEO, Seto Kaiba." She moved her microphone closer to his face, a distance he found slightly uncomfortable. "Mr. Kaiba, would you be kind enough to let our viewers know what brought you to announce a surprise duel on such short notice? Everyone's dying to know."

The other reporters leaned inward as he spoke, some taking notes on small writing pads and others translating into different languages. "This duel is strictly about that defamatory video my opponent released online two days ago. She must learn that while free speech is permitted, it's not a right that one can toss around so recklessly. I'm not above teaching a novice to respect their betters, especially those with a bark worse than their bite."

The reporter nodded. "By the sounds of the spectators, they can't wait for the show to start. Everyone's expecting a quick victory in your favor. What sort of strategy do you have planned for this 'MasterFL99'?" Kaiba crossed his arms.

"I don't need a strategy for a beginner. Give me five rounds, and her life points are as good as gone." The stadium roared louder. Kaiba turned away from the reporters, who yelled questions they wanted him to answer before being shooed away to their designated areas. He ignored their inquiries and made his way over to Roland. "Is there any word on Evans' arrival yet?" he asked.

"Not yet, sir," he replied. "Those posted around the stadium and at Kaiba Land's entrances haven't seen her. And it's already a quarter after-" His words ceased as he brought a hand to the receiver in his ear. "Yes... Are you sure? Then direct her here right away!" Roland's attention returned to his boss. "Good news, sir. Miss Evans has just entered the amusement park and is being directed to the stadium as we speak. She'll be entering through the south corridor."

Within minutes the sentries were stationed at all corridor entrances, all keeping an eye out for the big-mouthed redhead. The doors Kaiba came in through were opened again and he narrowed his gaze. Sandra rolled into the arena area on her skateboard, weaving past the reporters that chased after her. She made a sharp turn and skidded to a stop in front of Kaiba, kicking the board up into her waiting grasp. A yellow bubble inflated at her lips and popped, and she pulled the strands back into her mouth to chew them again. Their stares lingered on each other. "Afternoon," she greeted him between chomps on her gum. "I see you decided to wear that...'thing' again." She pointed to his coat. Her eyes shifted up and down his form to the rest of his attire, finding nothing but Kaiba Corp. logos and belts strapped around his extremities. It almost made her want to laugh. "Huh. First that Yugi kid, now you..." She shrugged her shoulders. "What is it with Japanese people and studded belts? Are you all born with bondage encoded in your DNA or something?"

Kaiba groaned. "If you hope dissing my clothes is going to leave me in a distracted fit of rage, you may want to reconsider your plan." He found his own eyes wandering, looking her up and down. Her own outfit was pretty ordinary; randomly thrown together, from the looks of it: jeans torn at the knees, red-and-gray skating sneakers, a gray wristband slipped on her right arm, and a black-and-white tank top with a low neckline and cut-out shoulders. His eyes rolled. "And what of your outfit? Are you planning on a wardrobe malfunction?"

"Please. You ARE a wardrobe malfunction. Besides, I had to look my best for your moment of groveling." Sandra swept her hair with her hand, blowing and popping another gum bubble.

"You look like you're homeless."

"And you look like my bitch." The reporters scoffed at her vocabulary, whispering comments to their viewers back home.

"Insults will get you nowhere, Evans. You already know how to prove yourself, but we both know that won't be happening." He and Sandra were too focused on outdoing each other to notice the horde of reporters now surrounding them, holding their cameras and microphones as close as possible without disturbing the conversation.

"Oh? Why not?"

"Because I'm gonna spank you hard, something your parents obviously never learned to do."

Sandra put a hand to her mouth and uttered a fake gasp. "Seto Kaiba! Why am I not surprised to hear you turning this into a sexual thrill? Have you no shame?" She grinned when he sneered at her and bared his teeth. Sandra spit out the old gum and tossed it into a nearby trash can, then replaced it with a fresh stick. "I've got a suggestion. Put your deck where your mouth is and we'll see who gets the spanking today." Reaching into a case looped on her belt, she pulled out her deck and slid it into its slot. She was eager to get on with the duel and humiliate him a second time. "Oh! Before I forget..." Sandra tossed something his way, which he was quick to catch. Upon inspection his eyes widened in disbelief at the Blue Eyes White Dragon card she'd given him. "Now we can fight fair." How he maintained his cool, no one knew.

The reporters were cleared again and the crowd knew it was finally time. Kaiba gestured his hand to the stage and waited for Sandra to take her place on the opposite side. "There's your graveyard," he said to her. Sandra huffed and made her way to the opposite side of the arena, unaware of the presence of Yugi's posse. A crew member fitted her with a small microphone on her shirt before she ascended the few stairs. Kaiba pressed the main release button on his duel disk and it turned on, opening and sending out its hologram projectors. He quickly noticed his opponent examining her own with squinted eyes. "Did you even bother to read the instructions?"

Sandra searched the device for the right button. "Don't get your panties in a knot! I'll remember it!" Grumbling, Kaiba pinched between his eyebrows and pointed to the fairly noticeable release button on the device. "Oh. I knew that." She located the button and and pressed it, watching the projectors fly out and the disk reassemble itself, and whistled with obvious fascination. "Now that everything's set in place, what do you say we get this show on the road?" The spectators began cheering again as the duelists drew their first hand, and the projectors displayed each one's life points in a glow above their heads.

"I'll start things off," Kaiba told her. "And I'll do so with my Kaiser Sea Horse in attack mode." He placed the card onto the middle open slot and its hologram appeared. He slid another into one of the back slots. "I'll also set this card face-down for the time being. Make your move, Evans."

Sandra tilted her head. "Really? Your first move is overgrown sushi?" she asked, shaking her head in disappointment. "Whatever. I'll make this ass-whooping short." She drew her card and studied her hand. "First off, I'm getting rid of your little fail-safe back there, with this." She turned around one of the cards in her hand, a spell card. "MST, bitch." A typhoon materialized from the ground and lunged toward Kaiba, shredding his face-down and destroying it. He scowled at her. "And now I'll play this card. Ever hear of Future Visions?" Immediately following the card's activation, she laid a third down in the main zone. "Say hello to Fortune Lady Light. Quickly, now, before she disappears." The monster, a fragile-looking creature with large yellow eyes, was bound by a wind vortex and vanished from the field. "Don't worry, though. She'll only be gone a turn."

Kaiba's scowl became a smirk, and he chuckled to himself. "So you summoned a monster only to get rid of it. Is that all?"

"Not even close. You see, Light's got a pretty nice effect." She stopped for a second and saw his confusion. "When Light's removed from play by a card effect, I can special summon another Fortune Lady from my deck. Allow me to introduce you to her sister, Fortune Lady Dark." Sandra gestured her free hand to the empty field, where a dark spiral spun and emitted a low whining. A figure flew out from it, a much more ominous, violet version of the previous creature. It twirled its weapon in its fingers.

In the stands, Jonouchi's brow furrowed. "Fortune Ladies? I've never heard of those kinds of cards." He glanced at Yugi, waiting for information.

"They're newer cards," he replied. "They were originally released as a promotion for Duel Monsters. I heard the release had taken place in Canada a month or two ago." He focused on the monster that had just appeared on Sandra's side of the field. "I've seen them in the stock room in Grandpa's shop, but this is the first time I've seen them in action."

Their attention went back to the duel, where Sandra continued her turn. "Now I'll activate Fortune's Future, which brings Light back into my graveyard and in play. And since Dark's on the field, I think I'll attach a little something called One Shot Wand to her. It increases her attack by 800 points." She laid down a fourth magic card. "Let's give the crowd what they came here for, Dark. Demolish his Kaiser Sea Horse. Dismal Curse his ass!" Within a second of her command, the creature lunged at Kaiba's soldier and sent out a dark wave of energy that slammed into his monster and destroyed it. The hologram displaying his life points dropped from 4000 to 2900 and he sneered. "I'll let you in on a little secret, dragon boy. All the Fortune Ladies have the same general effect: their attack and defense are equal to a set amount multiplied by their level. In Dark's case, her initial attack was 2000. After each turn, their levels increase by one. And you know what that means." Her monster returned to its original space on the field. "Next, I'll use Dark's effect to bring my Fortune Lady Light back onto the field. And she'll be attacking you next." The glowing monster, a polar opposite to the one that stood beside her, repeated the lunge and swung its weapon at Kaiba. His life points decreased further, to 2700. "Because Dark attacked, I'll get rid of her little power-up. And doing so means I get to draw a card." She placed the spell card into the graveyard slot and drew a new one. "I'll set this face-down back here. That'll end my turn." The space behind Dark lit up and blinked.

The crowd had become exhilarated. Nobody expected the girl from the internet to take the lead, let alone so quickly. Many of those watching were in awe, 'ooh'ing and 'aah'ing throughout Sandra's turn. Even Yugi's group, who thought they'd seen every kind of rapid control seizing in dueling, were taken aback. She'd pulled moves none of them had witnessed before, including Kaiba. His fist was shaking again, albeit lacking the anticipation he'd felt just a few minutes before. "I'll admit," he started, "that was quite an impressive first move for someone I've never seen duel before. But that was pure luck. I won't let you damage me again." Kaiba drew his card. "I'll begin by setting this in defense mode. And now, I'll activate the magic card, Summoner's Art. With this, I'm allowed to add a normal level five or higher monster from my deck to my hand. I choose my Blue Eyes White Dragon. My turn ends with that." The card slid out from his deck and he grabbed it.

"Good, so now I can go." Sandra drew a new card. "Since it's my turn again, my Fortune Ladies each gain a level and more power." The hologram displays for their levels, attack and defense points increased in value. "First I'll play Foolish Burial. It'll send a monster from my deck to my graveyard. That'll be my Fortune Lady Water." The card was moved to the graveyard slot as she gestured her hand in Kaiba's direction. "Now it's time I got rid of your defense. Take it out, Dark." Her monster jumped forward and swung her staff at the glowing square in front of her. The assaulted creature appeared for a brief second and its hologram exploded into pieces.

The smug grin returned to his face. "You've just triggered Giant Germ's ability. Once it's destroyed in battle and sent to the graveyard, you automatically take 500 points of damage." He watched as her life points dropped to 3500. "I can also special summon as many new Giant Germs in attack mode as I please. And I'll bring out two." Two exact copies of his slain creature were brought onto the field, the holograms wiggling and squirming above their card figments. "Not looking so good out there, Evans."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just let me finish my turn." Several in the crowd whistled, finding her sarcasm amusing. "Now where was I? Ah, yes. I was just about to use Dark's effect to bring Water back to the field. Welcome back, Water." The blue Fortune Lady counterpart rose from the space next to Dark and the monsters acknowledged each other's presence. "And now I can use her effect. When she's special summoned while I have a different Fortune Lady on the field, I can draw two cards." She drew two new cards from her deck and smirked. "Let's see your Pot of Greed do that. Your turn."

"Crushing you is going to feel so good," he told her, drawing a new card. "I play the magic card, Ancient Rules. This lets me special summon a level 5 or higher normal monster from my hand." Sandra rolled her eyes. She already knew which one he'd chosen. "Blue Eyes, come forth!" A white light shot out from the empty space between his two Giant Germs. Everyone saw the dragon materialize, and some shielded their eyes from the sunlight that bounced off its scales. It let out a blaring roar, one that brought the crowd to cheer louder than they had the entire event. They knew, with his signature card now out, that Kaiba was going to win. "I should thank you for reducing my life points. Since they're lower than yours, I can play Megamorph and attach it to my dragon. Now its attack will be doubled." The display for the Blue Eyes' strength doubled to 6000 as the hologram of it doubled in size. Kaiba began to laugh. "You had a good run, Evans, but not good enough. You're through. Blue Eyes, blast her Fortune Lady Light off the field! White Lightning!" The dragon charged a mass of electricity in front of its mouth and leaned its head back. Kaiba's laugh boomed across the stage.

Sandra's eyes widened. "Oh, no! Your almighty Blue Eyes is going to wipe out my life points! What ever will I do to save myself?" Her pout immediately morphed into a toothy grin. "Wait! I know! I'll do this!" Hitting a button near the rear card slots, she revealed the face-down card she had set. "Activate Magical Dimension!" His laughter stopped when he heard her. "In case you don't know what this does, it tributes one spellcaster to special summon another. And guess who's getting tributed?" A large coffin-like structure surfaced from behind Light. The lid opened and it swallowed the creature, closing and chaining itself. The Blue Eyes' attack bounced off the coffin, nullifying its strike. "I think I'll bring out another fresh face. Come on out, Fortune Lady Earth." The coffin opened again and another of the Ladies, a rust-colored version, stepped out. "Another thing, ass wipe. Light's effect triggers again. I'd like to bring out a second new one." The fifth version of the monster, this time in dark pink, joined her sisters on the field. "Meet Fortune Lady Fire. I think her effect is my favorite out of all the Ladies. Since she was special summoned because of another Fortune Lady's effect, I can destroy one face-up monster on my opponent's side of the field. And I'm picking your overpowered lizard." Sandra snapped her fingers and Fortune Lady Fire sprang forward. "Oh, and the best part? She can inflict damage equal to the destroyed monster's attack." His eyes widened. "Finish him, Fire, with your Burnout Inferno!" With a swing of its weapon, Fire sent a wave of flames toward the dragon. Kaiba could only watch as the inferno enveloped his Blue Eyes and crushed it until it exploded into millions of tiny glass pieces.

Everything fell silent. Nobody made a sound. Then, as they saw Kaiba's life points hit zero, the ovation began. The reporters rushed onto the stage and the projectors shut down, the holograms vanishing. Yugi and his friend stood with the rest of the crowd and screamed for joy. They couldn't believe what they'd just seen. "That was amazing!" Ryuji yelled.

"I can't believe I doubted her!" Hiroto also said.

"You an' me both," Jonouchi added.

Soon Sandra was surrounded by reporters. She turned off her duel disk and retuned all her cards to the box on her belt. Through the throngs of reporters she looked up at one of the large display screens, which was showing a replay of her final move. She couldn't help smiling. Cameras and microphones were shoved near her face and questions were thrown her way. "Where are you from?"

"Who are you? What's your name?"

"Where did you learn to duel like that?"

"Why haven't we heard of you before? You certainly have the talent to be on the international circuit."

Sandra ignored their stares and began to walk off the stage. "The name's Sandra Evans. I learned to duel because I was bored, and the idea of dueling professionally bored me, too. And that video's never coming down, no matter what Kaiba says!" She barely noticed Yugi and his friends coming her way, only sensing their presence when she heard her name being called. They squeezed their way through the circle of reporters and met her in the middle.

"Awesome job!" Yugi exclaimed, not realizing the cameras had shifted their focus on him. "That was one of the best duels I ever watched!"

The female reporter that interviewed Kaiba managed to, once again, sneak next to her target, and held her microphone to Sandra's mouth. "Miss Evans!" she called out. "How did you meet Yugi Muto, the King of Games?"

"The king of what?"

* * *

Once they'd had their fill of answers, the reporters left Sandra alone and focused on pestering Kaiba, who was fuming and pushing away from them. Sandra's family joined her near the stage when she was free and congratulated her on her victory. "Now THAT'S how you kick ass!" Jack yelled as he slapped her back hard, knocking her forward.

"Sis, that was so cool!" Jason screeched. He jumped up and down and into Sandra's arms.

"Hey--oww! Careful! I'm still sore, remember?"

Anzu suggested a victory lunch at a small restaurant nearby, to which the group became ecstatic. "I dunno," Sandra began, until it was made clear that the meal was their treat. Her mother and brother encouraged her to go, not giving her any room to turn down the group's offer. "Oh well. Guess I can't turn down free food." And then her growling stomach accepted it for her again. On their walk to the restaurant the familiar sickening sensation erupted in Ryou's stomach again and he took his leave, promising to stay with them for the next gathering. Once inside the group was led to a table and their orders were taken. Sandra tore off a small piece of the paper covering her straw and blew into it, sending the paper propelling into Anzu's hair. She, Hiroto and Jonouchi laughed as she groaned and removed the paper. "You're so immature," she commented.

"What's that?" Sandra brought a hand to her ear. "I can't hear you over the sound of Kaiba crying." She imitated what she thought he'd be doing and slowly slid down her seat to vanish under the table. "No, not my precious Blue Eyes! How could you? She was the love of my life!" Hiroto and Jonouchi laughed even louder, the first almost falling off his chair.

"Ssh!" Yugi shushed them. "We'll get in trouble if you're too loud." They waved their hands at him, telling him not to worry.

Ryuji slid his chair closer to Sandra's when she readjusted herself. "So you didn't know Yugi was the King of Games? Everyone knows that!" His hand inched even closer to hers. "...Is there anything you'd like to know about me? Maybe something personal?"

"No, I had no idea his name was that big," she replied, ignoring his second statement as she turned to the short teenager. "You don't look the type, honestly. And don't ask what 'the type' is, because I can't explain it." She reached past Ryuji's hand to pick up her soda. Sandra brought the straw to her lips and sucked in some of the fizzing liquid. As she set it down and looked to Jonouchi at the mention of her name, Yugi's gaze happened to land on the necklace around her neck. It was a stunning amulet - something he didn't expect a person like her to wear at all. It was definitely an Egyptian design; there was no denying it. His eyes crept up an inch to the red circle floating over the bird's head, and that's when he noticed the Eye of Horus staring back. Something about its shape left him unsettled. It was eerily similar to the eye on his Puzzle, and the same as the other Millennium Items he'd seen...too similar to be a coincidence.


	5. Lost in Translation

"You know," Sandra began as she bit into one of her fries, "you guys aren't so bad. I think I can tolerate living here for a while, so long as none of those rumors I heard back in Canada are true. Some of them were...well, for lack of better words, pretty fucking nasty."

"Oh yeah?" Hiroto asked. "Like what?"

Sandra tapped her finger next to her food tray. "Well for one, someone told me that the tentacle rape thing is real, to an extent." Soda spewed from Yugi's lips and sprayed all over his burger. "She told me the high school boys would chop off octopus and squid tentacles, then shove 'em up a girl's nether regions when she bent over to pick something up." Jonouchi had difficulty containing his laughter beneath the hands clasped over his mouth, while Anzu and Ryuji's faces were morbidly horrified. Their reactions caused a knot to settle in the transfer's throat. "Wait, that's not true is it?"

Yugi's face brightened. "No, no way!" he immediately told her while frantically waving his hands. The memory of the first year he became friends with Hiroto and Jonouchi surfaced, when they attempted to look up Anzu's skirt. He hid his face in his hands and shook his head, hoping no one had noticed him blushing from the memory.

Ryuji plucked a fry from his own platter with wide eyes. "Geez, what kind of school did you come from?" A small part of him hoped she wouldn't answer, and he raised an eyebrow at her. "...What else did those people tell you?"

"There were a couple of other rumors floating about. One stupid one involved conventions breaking out in the middle of street fights. Another claimed that sometimes, the kids in Japan are kidnapped by the demons of the forest. Jason actually believed that one for two months before we moved here." The group was slightly taken aback at her lack of reaction to her own words. "The last one was about you guys having some sick obsession with leather and bondage. And although I doubt it's true for _everyone_..." Her sentence trailed off and she briefly stared at Yugi, her action not going unnoticed by the blond and brunette. "But I thought the tentacle one was the worst one of all. Just the thought of it gives me the creeps." She shuddered in her seat.

"And I always assumed that Canadians were nothing but peaceful, maple tree-hugging syrup suckers with a genetic speech impediment," Jonouchi commented before sinking his teeth into what was left of his meal.

Sandra's head perked up. "Sadly, it does apply to some people. But the majority of Canada's cold, and the milk prices are even worse. And we DO NOT say 'eh' at the end of every sentence like some damn pigeon/pirate love child." She picked up her soda and sucked it up through the straw. "I don't even know how that assumption began." 

Anzu leaned her head on her propped up hands. "So what brought you to Japan, anyway? It's normal to get a couple of transfer students every now and then, but not an entire family."

"Not much. My parents divorced, Mom's job got bought out by some giant corporation, then she got a sort of promotion from the parent company with a pay raise she couldn't refuse. It all happened pretty fast, to be honest. We haven't had much time to adjust."

"That would explain your lack of understanding basic Japanese."

Then the redhead's eyes widened. "She sprung this move on us out of nowhere!" she retaliated with a shrug. "I was only able to find a month-long crash course before we upped and moved halfway around the world." A groan escaped her lips. "And I still can't read any of the damn characters."

Ryuji pat Sandra's shoulder. "Not to worry. I've got your back! I can show you how to read and write in Japanese, though I'm sure the instructors will still let you write in English until you're accustomed. We can even practice with the notes for that quiz-" She'd forgotten about the stupid test coming up later that week. Sandra groaned again and sank into the table, covering her face with her hair. It was when she flopped forward that Yugi's attention was drawn to her pendant again, noticing the lower half of the bird stick out from under her ginger locks. His intense focus tuned out the continuing conversation, and it was only when Jonouchi shook his shoulder that Yugi's mind was back in reality.

"You spaced out there for a sec, Yug," his best friend commented.

"Sorry about that." He cleared his throat. "Say, Sandra, where'd you get your necklace from? I know it's probably a random question."

Sandra sat up and spun the pendant between her fingers. "What, this old thing?" she asked, tapping the metal plates on its surface. "I dunno. My mom found it in some flea market when she was on a business trip in Egypt. It caught her eye and she demanded I wear it so I'd have some sense of girliness to me." She looked up at him. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason," he replied," it's just really...unique." The vibe he got the longer he stared at the pendant's eye of Horus left him unsettled, and he changed the subject. "Anyway, we'd be more than happy to help you translate until you get the hang of understanding the language."

"And it's going to be serious work," Anzu added, "which means you'll have to pay attention. No falling asleep in class, got it?"

The transfer student frowned. "Well I can't guarantee that-"

"Of course you can!" Jonouchi cut in. "If you pass out, one of us will be there to slap you awake. 'Cuz that's what friends do for each other." Sandra was beginning to find these guys weirder than normal with their unusually positive and embracing vibes. But for the sake of surviving in Domino Prefecture, she was going to have to put up with it.

With their meals paid for the group went their separate ways. Anzu, Jonouchi, Hiroto and Yugi decided to walk back to his house for the remainder of the evening. Though she wanted to turn down Ryuji's offer for a ride, Sandra realized she'd forgotten the way back to her house. "Don't sweat it," he told her as he opened the car door for her. He counted his lucky stars that he remembered her address and turned on the engine. "So how much Japanese do you know?"

Her face twisted. "Aside from 'kahn-ee-chi-wuh' and 'ah-ri-ga-toh'", she sounded out, "not much."

"One: don't worry about it. Two: you completely botched that pronunciation. It's 'koh-nee-chi-wah'. But you got the other one right." He turned down one of the streets. "What about numbers?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I was pretty decent at math back home, so that was the easiest part." She raised her hand and started counting on her fingers. "Ichi, ni, san, yon, go, roku, shichi…uh…"

"Hachi."

"Right."

Ryuji shook his head and sighed. "Kono baka wo oshieru no ha muri da," he commented.

"That counts as talking behind my back."

They arrived at her house shortly after. Ryuji parked the car and picked up the box with her duel disk, following Sandra to the door to her complex. She fished out her keys and unlocked the door. "I'm home!" she yelled, immediately grabbing the attention of her mother and younger brother. "Everyone, Ryuji. Ryuji, everyone. He's here to translate Japanese to English for me. Yadda, yadda yadda. Come on, let's go to my room-"

"Hang on a second," her mother said as she tried to walk off. Sandra saw the smile plastered on her face and knew what she was going to say. "This is the first time you've brought a friend home in ages!" Ryuji wasn't the least bit worried about meeting her mother, but he saw the look on Sandra's face and knew she preferred it didn't happen. "It's very nice to meet you, Ryuji. I'm Catherine Miller. Musume ga tomodachi irutte koto ha ii to omou yo."

He was caught off guard by the mother's perfect Japanese. "Yorokobi wa, subete watashi no monodesu. Watashi wa anata ga koko ni sunde o tanoshimi kudasai," he replied in a bow as he offered his hand to her mother.

Sandra groaned. "Okay, you've met him. Bye." She stormed up to her room without waiting for Ryuji, though she could hear his footsteps fast approaching. He appeared confused when he entered her bedroom. "Mom's making a big deal out of me making friends here. It's annoying." She clapped her hands and threw herself on her bed. "So what's this test on again?"

He set her duel disk on her desk and dug a notebook from his backpack. "Ancient Egypt," he said to her. "We're summarizing the events of the three kingdoms and the lives of the kings who ruled during those periods."

She blew a gum bubble and popped it loud. "Great. Figures it makes sense to give a test the first week of class. Okay, whip out the notes." He tossed his notebook her way and she caught it without looking.

"Should be the last page," he said as he sat next to her, taking out another notebook and turning to a clean paper. As he took out some pens, he watched her attempt to read what he'd written down. Her lips made shapes as she sounded out whatever words she could read in her head. At this angle, he could easily see her natural beauty. Not an ounce of makeup touched her skin like most of the girls that hounded him; the only sign of her femininity in her was below eye level. After a few seconds she looked up at him, her eyebrows pulled in.

"I have no idea what this says."

"Don't worry," he told her. "It's easy." He handed her the clean papers and pointed to the first lines of text. "Right here, I started out with the basics of the three kingdoms of ancient Egypt. You remember what they're called, right?"

She nodded. "New, Middle and Old kingdoms." She started writing as he recited his notes. "I am so glad you speak English, otherwise I'd be fucked." His mind halted momentarily when she spoke, but he quickly returned to where he'd left off. The continued that way for thirty minutes before Sandra said, "There she goes again."

"Hmm?"

"Mom's calling me for something."

Ryuji gave her a strange look. "I didn't hear anything." She looked baffled when he replied to her. "Seriously. There wasn't any noise coming from downstairs." He set down his notebook and looked at her. "Maybe your mind's still a little jumpy from the duel earlier. Try and block out any distractions."

She still looked confused. "Yeah…" Sandra didn't hear the voice again for the rest of the time Ryuji was there. Every now and then they took a break and he tested her on her knowledge. She did surprisingly well, though he couldn't help laughing at her poor attempt to write her answers in katakana. "It makes some sense," she told him, "but still. What the hell's with all the symbols?"

"I could say the same about English," he replied. "It's a complete mash-up of all these different languages."

"But at least you're bilingual like my mom. You're not suffering from Language Barrier Syndrome." Sandra tore her notes out from the notebook. "Anyway, thanks for the help. You're keeping me alive in that class."

"It was no trouble at all. You can come to me if you need help for anything." He took her hand in his and stared into her eyes. "And I mean, anything." There was a moment of awkward silence between the two before Sandra tore her hand out of his grasp.

"O…kay, I think I've got the message." She caught the time on her cable box. "Guess you should head out now before Mom goes nuts."

He nodded and stood. "Alright, I'll see you in school tomorrow." There was another awkward silence between the two before he brushed his hand against her cheek. "Good night," he said before turning and leaving her room. A small smile grew across her face as she sat on her window sill and watched Ryuji leave her house. He stopped for a moment and turned to look up at her, waving and smiling. She returned the gesture and watched him drive off in his car. As he vanished behind the corner, she chuckled to herself.

"He so wants to get into my pants."

* * *

The anxiety that radiated from Yugi was more than enough to alarm the pharaoh, who manifested beside the teenager. His friends could also sense something was amiss, though when Hiroto inquired, Yugi refused to give a concrete answer. He rushed to his desk and started the laptop, counting the seconds in his head as it booted up. A transfer student with Egyptian jewelry? It couldn't have been a mere coincidence that she _just_ happened to be enrolled in his class, in his school. The last time someone his age had a golden pendant he and his friends were nearly murdered on several occasions. Another murderous psychopath like Marik or Bakura's dark sides was the last thing he needed right now. Anzu pulled a chair next to the desk. "Yugi, what's going on? You've been really quiet since we left the restaurant."

"Something about Sandra is bothering me," he finally confessed to his friends. "You remember what she said about it, right?"

Jonouchi nodded. "Yeah, her mother found it somewhere in Egypt-"

"And when she showed it to us, I noticed something about its design that's been bugging me since." Yugi's hands reached down to hold the Millennium Puzzle in his hands, his thumb tracing over the eye on the front plate. "On the circle above the bird's head was the Eye of Horus. It looked exactly like this one."

It took a moment for the other to understand where he was going with his words. "...No," Hiroto blurted out. "No, that can't be possible. You're not implying she has a Millennium Item!"

"What else could it be? Pegasus managed to get his hands on one; who's to say she didn't?"

"But I thought there were only seven," Anzu argued. "And her pendant had colored paint on it, right? From what we know, the Items don't."

Yugi turned back to his laptop and opened a program. "That's why I'm contacting Marik. Either he or Isis should know something about this." The three of them gathered around their friend as the program loaded and waited for a connection. "I hope it's not too early over there..." Their faces lit up when the link held and Marik waved to them with a big grin plastered across his face.

"Yugi!" the Egyptian exclaimed over the video feed. "Anzu, Jonouchi, Hiroto! It's good to see you guys again." Everyone greeted Marik, and Isis when she briefly appeared from behind him. "We weren't expecting a call from you. How are things in Japan?"

The smile fell from Anzu's face. "Marik, I think we have a problem. There's a new girl in our class who has this weird-looking pendant-"

"It looks like a Millennium Item! And she said she got it from a flea market in Egypt!" Jonouchi cut in. "I thought you said there were only seven of 'em!"

Marik's brow furrowed. "There _are_ only seven Millennium items. There's the Eye, Rod, Necklace, Scales, Key, Ring and Puzzle. Nothing has changed since they were created 5,000 years ago. Are you sure you just didn't imagine it?"

Yugi nodded. "I'm absolutely sure. It had the Eye of Horus on it." He dug a pencil and paper from a nearby drawer and sketched the pendant's design to show him. "It has green and red paint on it."

"…I see what you mean." His voice grew concerned. "If it's possible, get me a picture of it up close. I'll let Isis know and we'll investigate it." The concern vanished when he smiled again. "But I'm confident you don't have anything to worry about. If my suspicions are correct, her necklace is nothing more than a fake."

"A fake? Why would someone make a fake Millennium Item?" Hiroto asked.

Marik shrugged his shoulders. "Either money or attention. Fraudulent Items have popped up before. We've investigated them and even saw them up close, but they were all either copies or fakes. If anything, she just got conned by one of the locals."

Whether true or not, the thought didn't sit well with Yugi. "Okay. Thanks for looking into this, Marik. Tell everyone we say hi." Marik waved to his friends before the video feed cut off, and Yugi shut down the program.

"Guess we'll just have to wait for an answer," Hiroto said.

Jonouchi leaned against Yugi's bed frame and gestured his hand. "It's the only thing we can do." He yawned and stretched his arms above his head. "Come on, shouldn't we be studying'?"

"You're right," Anzu replied as she opened up her bag. "Good thing I brought the notes with me."

* * *

She knew she hadn't imagined hearing someone call for her attention the night before. The voice - wherever it came from - said her name twice, though she'd ignored the first one thinking it was her mother trying to pull something on her. The thought stayed with Sandra for about an hour after Ryuji's departure until she decided it wasn't worth going crazy over. She occupied her mind with learning how to use her duel disk instead and finally opened the instructional booklet included in its box. She didn't remember when she'd fallen asleep or what she was doing when she passed out; the only thing she was aware of was a rude awakening when her bedroom door rattled. She shot up, and immediately after she woke up, her school alarm went off. "Dammit," she groused and slapped the snooze button. "WHAT?" The knocking stopped and her mother entered the bedroom in silence. Sandra was still half asleep and didn't notice the stern gaze staring at her, or the box in her mother's hands, until it was dropped onto her lap and she was jolted fully awake. "What's this?"

"I got a call from your school," her mother replied, "about a certain Canadian transfer student showing up in the WRONG UNIFORM." Sandra flinched at the last two words. "Honestly, Sandra, I can't understand why you can't be enrolled in one school without me getting a complaint from them. You're almost seventeen years old! Why is it so difficult for you to follow the rules?" Her mother continued, but Sandra started tuning her out as she got up from the bed and reached for the box. "...which is why I had to go all the way down to the store yesterday and get you the right one-"

"WHAT?" she yelled, ripping the lid off the container. Inside laid a pink blazer with white trim, resting above a collared white shirt and pleated blue skirt. Sandra didn't look at it for another second. "No. I'm not wearing this crap." She tossed the box onto the floor and walked to her closet, only to have the door shut by her mother.

"You don't have a choice in this, Sandra. That's your school uniform, the PROPER one, and you ARE going to wear it." She picked up the box and laid it back on the bed. "You know, I thought us moving here would be a fresh start, something better than what we had in Canada. But you keep on reverting back to your old ways, back to doing the same things that got you expelled from your old school." Sandra rolled her eyes. It was the same speech she'd heard after her mother got the expulsion letter from the high school she attended three months before, when they still lived in Vancouver. "Your brothers took the adjustment well. Look at Jack! He's got a nice job here! And even Jason is getting used to his new school." There she went again, comparing her to her siblings. Her mother began to calm down. "Look, the point is that you've got to be open for change. And that starts with wearing your uniform. Now get ready for school before you're late. I'm starting my new job today and don't have time for your antics." Without another word the woman left her daughter in peace, shutting the door behind her.

Sandra huffed. "Shit..." It sank in: she had no other options. Her old uniform was torn up, and there was no way her mother or any tailor would be able to repair it in time. She looked at the box again. The blazer was so pink, too much for her to bear wearing in public. The color made her sick to her stomach.

"Just get it over with." The teen jumped and searched her room for the source of the voice, but no one was around. "Your mother is right. There are times where you need to follow the rules, regardless of how you feel about it."

Now she knew she wasn't hallucinating. "Quit screwing with me!" she screamed at the bedroom door.

"Stop stalling and get dressed!" her mother yelled from down the hall. And then the voice was gone, leaving her to once again question her sanity. Sandra scowled and slumped next to the box with a huff. She turned it over and dumped the clothes onto her bed, then skipped to her closet to get a clean bra and underwear. "This is gonna suck." The skirt left her feeing exposed, even with the nude tights included in the package, and the blue neck ribbon made her despise the uniform even more. She again wondered if the rumors she'd heard from her friends in Canada were, indeed, true, and pictured it in her mind. A chill ran down her spine as she pulled the socks up her calves and put the loafers on. She studied herself in the mirror. "I look like an idiot." Biting her lower lip, she kicked off the loafers and threw them in the garbage, replacing them with her red and gray sneakers. "At least they can't bitch over these." Sandra grabbed the notes from the night before and shoved them into her backpack, and strapped on her helmet. She pulled on her book bag and headed for the door, but stopped before reaching for the door knob. "Hold on a second." The teen spin around and dove into the closet to grab a pair of spandex shorts. "At least now I can manage." Without any further delays, Sandra grabber her skateboard and deck and left the house.

* * *

He wanted to be taken seriously. That was the one thing Mokuba craved from the employees at Kaiba Corporation more than anything. Constantly being kidnapped had made the techs and sentries watch the younger Kaiba much more closely than they would his brother; part of him thought it also had to do with his juvenile appearance. Even at the age of thirteen he looked like a third grader, though no employee would openly agree to the observation. And Set would brush off the topic every time Mokuba brought it up, saying it was all just in his head and that he needed to get back to work before the elder got a headache only alcohol could cure. He wasn't going to let anyone baby him any further, which was why he took on the task of changing his image before meeting the newest employees to join the Kaiba Corp. family. The regulars were shocked to see the boy's long hair gone, cut short to his chin and slicked back in a classic businessman's fashion. His attire was also the opposite of his normal clothing: a specially tailored gray suit complete with a dark blue shirt, a pewter tie, and black Oxfords shined until he could see his reflection in the toes. It was a welcome change for the employees who suddenly greeted him in a more professional manner as he walked from the elevator to meet with the recruiter and department managers. Many of the new employees were coming from the same company, one Seto had recently bought out to expand Kaiba Corp's reach as a technical conglomerate.

The door to a conference room was opened by Mokuba's escort and he entered to find four department managers and the recruiter waiting to shake his hand. "Master Kaiba," the recruiter started, "we're delighted to have you here this morning to meet our newest employees. As you've been informed, the ten people before you all hail from Harrisson & Carter, one of North America's leading companies in investment and technological advancement." The new recruits bowed to the teenager without a hint of snickering and relief washed over Mokuba mentally. The recruiter stepped to the side and gestured his hand in Mokuba's direction. "Everyone, it's a great honor to introduce you to Master Kaiba Mokuba, younger brother to CEO Seto and COO." All the adults applauded him and when the clapping ceased, the recruiter cleared his throat. "Now we will get you settled into your new positions at Kaiba Corp. Next to me are your management team, who will give you all the details of what's expected of you at your station." A list was pulled from a clipboard. "Everyone who will be working in programming, please follow miss Isayama Kagura to the nineteenth floor." Four people stepped forward to shake hands with the programming manager and followed her out. "Now I see we only have one person for our data analytics department. Miss Miller?"

A red-haired woman walked forward and shook her manager's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you," she told him. Mokuba's gaze was drawn to her face when she spoke, and he couldn't help noticing the similarities between her and the girl who'd dueled his brother. Had it not been for her hair being tied back and her formal business attire, Mokuba was sure the two would look nearly identical.

As she began to follow her manager out the door, the teen shifted closer to her and cleared his throat. "Excuse me," he said. "Miss Miller, was it?"

The COO's sudden interest in her was a surprise to the new employee. "Yes," she replied, "Catherine Miller. What can I do for you, sir?"

"This is going to sound really random, but..." He had to know. "Did you happen to be in the stands watching a duel yesterday afternoon?"

Her lips parted and eyes widened slightly. "Why, yes, I was. I was there with my sons to watch my daughter take part in a dueling exhibition." And then Mokuba was left mouth agape. "I'm deeply sorry for her language; she's very expressive when it comes to psyching out the competition."


	6. The Proposal

Aches riddled throughout Yugi's body. He bit his lower lip, his muscles tensed as he rode the bus to school. Why now, of all times, did the pain have to surface? Every bone, every cell in his five-foot frame hurt. It was a normal he'd unfortunately grown used to since piecing the Millennium Puzzle together, one symptom he'd have to live with for what he anticipated to be the rest of his life. His friend and the Puzzle's spirit always took notice when Yugi would slump in his chair and look like he hadn't slept in days. It was a heavy cost he had to pay in exchange for the friend and dueling partner he'd gained. In the beginning, he had no idea what was going on. He'd wake up, having blacked out and bearing no recollection of whatever transpired between his last memories and the present. Jonouchi once remarked how Yugi would sometimes have this dark aura about him, paired with a sinister smile and proclamations of games of fate. He hadn't believed the kid at first, and it wasn't until the final stage of Death-T when he and Anzu finally grasped there was something supernatural happening. And every time the darkness took over his memory blanked, and when he'd awaken, his body was in agony that no one could explain. It felt like his arms and legs had been stretched past their limit, his voice was hoarse more than once afterward, and Yugi just knew that something was wrong. When Yugi and the Puzzle's spirit truly met for the first time, face to face in the depths of Yugi's mind, the darkness lifted and allowed light to flow once more; but Yami had grown protective over his host in the passing year, and would always take over if he sensed the teen was in any danger - whether he allowed it or not. While the penalty games were a thing of the past, when it came to the overall use of the ancient magic, Yugi didn't have much say.

But despite the partnership and trust their spirits forged, the pain wouldn't stop. Yugi would toss and turn in his bed night after night, writhing as tears welled in his eyes when he held in his screams of agony. No doctor could give a concrete answer as to why he'd spontaneously double over and feel as if horses were pulling him apart. A sudden growth spurt due to late puberty, one said. The possibility of fibromyalgia, another thought, or early signs of something much worse to come. The third couldn't identify the source of all his pain, but was able to offer some comfort for the cramps he'd developed in his neck as a result of the Puzzle's weight. The last offered nothing; he had the audacity to say the pain was all in his head. "Take a walk outside, smell the flowers. It'll make you feel better." How the hell was he supposed to do that if he couldn't even get out of bed? Ibuprofen barely helped, and though the second doctor had written a prescription for him, the medication left him even more tired as the day went on. The torture seemed endless but he pushed through, from Death-T and Duelist Kingdom, all the way through the Battle City tournament. It wasn't until Marik was back to himself that Isis, having followed the progress of Yugi and Yami, was able to offer a temporary solution, though no one was sure if it would actually work. It came in the form of an herbal drink, used by pharaohs in ancient times to prepare them for the afterlife. The ingredients were said to allow them safe passage to Paradise, but if they so chose to, be born again in the physical world. At that point Yugi was willing to try anything to alleviate the stress on his body, and though it tasted awful at first, the effects seemed to be immediate. The ache in his bones and joints spanned fewer and shorter instances, and whenever he would transfer control of his body over to the pharaoh, the strain in his muscles ceased to ravage him.

He never left the house without a water bottle filled with the herbal remedy, but with the tight squeeze of people on the bus, he couldn't reach it from the side of his backpack. Yugi was relieved to pop out from between the five people squished by the back door. He caught his breath and took a long sip from his water bottle, and the aching subsided. **"Has it returned?"** the spirit asked as it manifested beside him, having sensed the pain radiating from his partner.

"A little," he replied, "but I'm alright now." He'd become good at covering up his pain when it surfaced, even though he knew there wasn't really a way for him to keep his face from twisting when his muscles constricted suddenly. "It could be the weather; I sometimes get random pain before a storm rolls in." Glancing at the other side of the street, he spotted Anzu waving his way and grinned. He crossed when the light changed and trotted up to her. "Hey, Anzu."

"The bus packed again?" she acknowledged, having seen him worm his way to freedom from its confines, and he nodded. "You know, it's a little weird today. It seems a lot busier than other mornings, like something big's about to happen."

"I hope it's just a fluke. I've had enough 'big things' happening in the past year." It was funny, he thought to himself. After finally putting the Millennium Puzzle together, his wish of gaining true friends had come true; but with it came many unusual incidents and many, _many_ near death experiences, some of which were televised during their tournaments. Like Ryou, several students and other people who'd appeared in Yugi's life mysteriously fell ill or injured, to which Yami admitted was his doing to protect his host. By Duelist Kingdom they'd established a sort of contract - as long as Yugi was present and aware (even if he were asleep), Yami was forbidden to use the shadow magic to enact his penalty games. It was a meager price to pay for being able to walk the earth again, and though he was tested countless times, he obliged by Yugi's request.

"Oh. My. God." Anzu's shock drew Yugi out of his trance and he turned in the direction she pointed in. Having forgotten about the spirit floating beside him, Yugi's jaw fell open when he caught sight of a familiar skateboard grinding to a halt near the entrance to the high school. Sandra was in the girls' Domino High uniform, pink jacket and all, tugging at the hem of the pleated skirt to try and get it covering as much of her thighs as possible. Anzu giggled to herself at the sight, amused at the 180-degree change. The transfer student seemed to sense their presence as she shook her hair out from under her helmet, and bolted into the building before they could say a word to her. "Well at least she's making an effort to follow the rules." She and Yugi followed the rest of the student into the school and their respective classes.

Sandra felt the dozens of pairs of eyes staring her down as she entered her first class. The instructor gave her a smile, to which she groused and shook her head before slumping into her seat. It was going to be a long day, she knew, and not even Ryuji's sad excuses for pick-up tactics would distract her. Her lips pursed. She sucked in a huff of air and blew it out sharp, making her bangs float. "I look like an idiot," she told herself for the second time that day. At least there were a few who gave her a thumbs-up, congratulating her win against Kaiba the day before. Though she'd gotten a full night's sleep the incident with her mother that morning was enough to exhaust her, and as the lesson began, she felt herself starting to nod off.

**"I wouldn't do that if I were you."**

Her head shot up, She looked in front of her, thinking Anzu had said something, but the girl was focused on her own work, as were the other students. The voice was taunting her again, making her blood pressure rise and putting her on edge. Shaking it off for that moment she returned to her notes, translated for her by Ryuji as per the instructor's agreement. He'd notice her become startled but thought nothing of it and continued to write down the lesson for himself and Sandra. Minutes passed, the voice silent, until she happened to glance at the window to her left. She never really acknowledged Bakura Ryou. She'd seen him once or twice in the few get-togethers she was forcibly pulled into with Yugi's posse. He was skittish compared to the rest of the crew, always running off when Sandra got involved in something with them. And the way he'd look at her whenever he wasn't high-tailing it away was strange, perhaps more so than the way Ryuji did when he tried asking her out for the seventeenth time. Ryou happened to turn around as the teacher switched books for the lesson and his eyes met hers. He turned away immediately and shuddered. At the same time, Sandra's heart seemed to thud with a force in her chest, and a lump formed in her throat. Her cheeks grew hot...no, that couldn't be happening. She had absolutely no interest in that white-haired kitten afraid of his own shadow. Her heart beat faster. She thought she was going to pass out.

**"I've missed you so."** _Badum._ **"Why did you leave me?"** _Badum badum badum badum._ **"Akefia!"**

"Will you shut up already!" Sandra shot out of her seat, hands slapping the top of the desk and eyes wide. The instructor fell silent and everyone's attention landed on her, the room completely quiet. Sandra realized what she'd done and felt sweat accumulating beneath her bangs.

The instructor lowered her lesson plan. "I beg your pardon, Miss Evans?"

Her eyes darted left to right and she swallowed the lump that restricted her breathing. "I, uh... Can I be excused to the restroom please?" The instructor nodded, an eyebrow raised, and gestured to the classroom door. The students watched her leave and whispered amongst themselves when she was gone.

She'd ducked into the bathroom, grateful it was unoccupied, and held herself over the nearest sink. "What is WRONG with me?" she shouted. Her grip on the porcelain tightened. Sandra turned on the water and threw some on her face to wash away the sweat. "Maybe I'm just losing my cool. Kaiba did kidnap me after all. Maybe I'm a little spooked..." She lifted her head and stared at her reflection, brushing her bangs from her face.

 **"He may have done so, but you deserved it. You must face the consequences for your actions."** She held her breath and dropped her bangs, but the reflection's hair stayed away from her eyes, which had narrowed and brightened. **"You must quit being reckless, Sandra, or you're going to get us killed."**

Sandra fell backwards, her breathing frantic. Her reflection stared at her and said nothing. The bathroom door opened and both pairs of eyes watched Anzu walk in, mouth agape when she spotted Sandra on the floor. "Are you alright?" Flashbacks of the near-car accident flooded her memory and she helped the transfer student stand again. "What happened? You had the instructor worried. She sent me to check on you."

Sandra blinked. "Anzu." She pointed to the mirror and opened her mouth, but no words surfaced when she saw her reflection act normal, posed the same way as her. She rushed over to it and pressed her hand on the glass. That couldn't have been a figment of her imagination. She swallowed a second time and shook out her hair. "...I'm fine. I just..." How was she supposed to tell a classmate she barely knew that someone who looked nearly identical to herself was haunting her? "...Don't worry about it, I'm fine."

"You're sure?" She nodded and reached for the door. Anzu, still skeptical, followed Sandra out of the bathroom and back to class.

* * *

"I'm sure of it, Yugi," Anzu told her friend when school let out for the day. "I heard her talking to herself in the bathroom. She was really spooked about something. But she wouldn't tell me about it at all."

"And she _was_ paying attention in class for once," Hiroto noted. "She even answered some of the problems in math class. Kind of fishy, if you ask me." He, too, had watched her in the classes they shared, and informed his friends of her strange behavior in science class. She was almost as skittish as Ryou when she had to pass papers down her aisle, and was the first to leave. She didn't even acknowledge Ryuji when he attempted flirting with her. "But I'm not saying I missed her smart ass attitude."

Ryuji, the one who shared the most classes with Sandra, saw the full extent of the 180 in her personality. "You know, she was whispering to herself in our last class. I couldn't hear a lot but it sounded a lot like she was being bothered. I did hear her curse out whatever she's talking to."

"You think she's actually gone crazy this time?" Jonouchi asked. "Maybe that little accident knocked a few screws loose."

There was one instance that had Yugi thinking different. During lunch hour Sandra ducked out of the kitchen and didn't return for twenty minutes or so. He'd left his group to check on her and found the teen pacing back and forth, having a conversation with herself. She'd said something about a poltergeist, being haunted by her reflection, seeing a sharper look when the figment would argue with her... It was eerily familiar. She stomped away before he could confront her. "I don't think it was the accident, guys. Whatever's bothering Sandra is beginning to sound like a spirit of some sort-"

"Yeah, right!" Jonouchi slapped his friend's back. "What are the chances of that being true? First you, then Bakura, then Marik. We've gotta stop attracting Egyptian weirdos at some point, Yug." Maybe Jonouchi was right. Every time something bad happened they tended to overreact, though the majority of the time their gut feelings were correct. Battle City was finished. The Millennium Ring was gone. Marik was back to himself. Everything had returned to normal.

"...I suppose you're right, Jonouchi."

And then the pharaoh's spirit surfaced to his right. **"I, too, assumed something wasn't right with the girl,"** Yami began, **"but she seems to be nothing more than a troublemaker. Maybe she's begun to discover consequences to her actions and is turning a new leaf. She was alright yesterday, and now she's changed uniforms. She was definitely disciplined."**

Yugi glanced at the spirit; he'd learned to ignore how people saw him talking to the air. Sandra had done the same. But Yami read his thoughts and calmed his suspicion, and felt his partner's heartbeat steady.

* * *

All Sandra wanted to do was run to her bed and take off the stupid uniform. One day in the stupid skirt and she was already losing her mind. The voice spoke again as she skated home, trying her best to balance herself while holding her skirt down. **"Why must you be so difficult?"** the voice asked in a sour tone. **"That girl was trying to be nice to you. Although..."** It almost sounded like the voice released a sigh. **"I don't like that boy. The one with the spiked hair. You should keep away from him."**

"Oh, great, another nagging voice," the teen commented. "Look, I don't give a shit about going crazy, but you're gonna have to lay off the mom persona. And quit looking like me; it gives me the creeps." She'd ran out of the school building the second the final bell rang and rolled as fast as the traffic allowed her. She wanted to forget the whole damn day and lock herself in her room to blast her music until the voice stopped haunting her. "...Who's Akefia?"

**"Pardon?"**

Sandra rolled her eyes. "You yelled someone's name, and you were complaining about how they left you or whatever." She blew a gum bubble and chewed the strands back into her mouth when it popped. "If you're going to haunt me, we need some ground rules. No looking like me, no randomly yelling names, and definitely no making my heart freak out. Got it?" She didn't care when she got no response from the voice and turned down the block leading to her house. When she turned sharp to stop, Sandra tilted her head to the side. A limousine was parked in front of her house. "The fuck?"

The voice made a sound as if it were clearing its throat. **"You have such a foul tongue."**

"Shut up, Karen." Sandra took off her helmet and kicked her skateboard up into her grasp. She fished her keys from her blazer pocket and unlocked the front door. As she turned the door knob, the voice made the throat-clearing sound again.

**"If you must call me by a name, Uadjit will do."**

"Yeah, whatever, Kare-" Sandra's voice caught in her throat when she stepped inside. Her mother glared at her, arms crossed and grimacing. "...Hi, Mom."

Catherine shook her head. "Sandra Bethany Evans." Her mother only ever said her middle name if she was in big trouble, and the last time she said her daughter's full name, she'd been expelled from school. "Why, oh why, must you be so difficult?" Sandra parted her lips to speak. "STOP." She closed her mouth. "Come with me to the living room." Catherine spun on heel and marched behind her daughter to keep her moving. Jack snickered as his little sister walked past him.

"You're so dead," he chuckled, to which Sandra flipped him off. Then a noise from the living room distracted him. "Jason, quit messing with the kid! He's too old to play with your toys."

"They're action figures!" the nine year old retaliated, "and Mokuba said they're cool."

Sandra's brow furrowed. "Who?" Catherine gestured her arm for Sandra to enter the living room, and when she did, she was once again lost for breath. Seto and Mokuba Kaiba sat on her couch, the latter being entertained by her kid brother, whilst the elder stared at the teenager with his legs crossed and hands folded in his lap.

"Hello, Miss Evans." Kaiba's voice was calm and collected. "I must say, your house is quite cozy, and your family is very nice. A shame I can't say the same about you."

Sandra pursed her lips and scowled. "You nasty motherfucker-"

"Language!" Catherine covered Jason's ears. "Sandra, control yourself! Of all days, why must you royally screw up today? We've lived in Japan for barely a month-"

"Mom, why is he here?" Sandra yelled.

Catherine exhaled. "I heard the full story about that video you made. I watched it, and I can't even begin to describe how disgusted I am with you. If I'd known that was the reason for your duel yesterday..." She found herself pacing across the small room. "You defamed my boss, Sandra. And not only that - you broke into his office and stole from him? WHEN did you even get the time to do something so stupid? If you'd listened when I told you before school began, you'd have known that I was being transferred to Kaiba Corporation. Who runs that company, Sandra?" For the first time in her life, Sandra was at a loss for words. Her mother, working for Kaiba? She hated the smug grin he gave her when she fell silent. He held all the cards now. "First things first: you're deleting that video you made. And I'm revoking your laptop rights. You're not leaving this house for anything other than school for the next month!"

Kaiba cleared his throat and Catherine's rage calmed. "Perhaps we can make an arrangement, Miss Miller. While I am angry about the situation, I do understand that the teenage mentality may cause one to cross boundaries they shouldn't, especially in your daughter's case. We met once on Saturday, and even though I swore to press charges on her, I am one who can forgive and forget." The CEO stood up and strode over to Sandra, staring her down as he towered over her. "My proposal has Sandra avoiding jail time if she works under me to assist in the creation of a new security system. Clearly, she has knowledge on IT on a level comparable to my own, and that would be a valuable asset to my company's protection. It will only be on weekends so it won't interfere with her schooling, but should she require a lift I can send a car here in the morning. It would be unpaid, of course, to pay off the damage to my character and the company's stocks, but she'd require access to her laptop so I may communicate via email. All I would need is your approval."

Sandra swallowed. Her nerves jumped everywhere the longer she listened to the proposal. He was a sly one, she'd give him that, but she'd freeze in hell before working for Kaiba. "Mom, you can't-"

"And why shouldn't I? So you can go to jail instead?" Catherine turned to her boss and bowed. "I think it's a wonderful idea, Kaiba-san. She can begin this Saturday."

"Excellent." Kaiba shook hands with Catherine and took his leave, Mokuba following behind as he waved goodbye to Jason. As the younger brother went ahead to the limousine the elder stopped beside Sandra. "8am, Saturday morning. Don't be late, Miss Evans."


	7. Wasps

At first, Mokuba didn't think much of what would transpire when he informed his brother of the revelation that he could have Sandra reprimanded. What were the chances that her mother would end up being one of their employees, and at the same time, the ginger teen was busy slandering her new boss online? It was too perfect. She'd get in big trouble, have to pay a fine, and possibly spend some time in juvie. And when Catherine Miller had been called to the CEO's office she had no idea what to expect. A personal greeting for each new employee, perhaps, but from what she'd heard of the seventeen - soon to be eighteen - year old president served as a base to suspect something bad to come out their meeting. And her instincts were right. The younger Kaiba felt bad for the mother. She'd done everything in her power to provide her children with a good life, but one of them just refused to comply with the laws of society and had to be a stick up her ass. Catherine held her composure well, even as the video was played and the elder Kaiba revealed video surveillance of Sandra committing the crime. Catherine was horrified, to say the least, and while Seto and Mokuba had a basic understanding of her nature and attitude, neither of them could understand A: why she did what she did in the first place; and B: how in the hell the girl even managed to bypass nearly their entire security system. No staff had seen her enter, not even the sentries. She'd obviously done something on that level before, and they needed to wrangle her in before she could do any more damage to both Catherine's and the Kaibas' reputations. Catherine explained that Sandra had fiddled with computers since she was a kid and expressed a great interest in them, though she underestimated the gravity of how much she knew. The intended remedy was agreed upon by both CEO and mother and they planned the big reveal for her daughter after she returned from school.

When he saw Sandra in the video for the first time Mokuba thought she was just another jealous bystander with nothing better to do than talk shit about other people's lives on the internet; he was sorely mistaken when he realized she got a hold of their security system bill. He and his brother had installed it themselves to ensure it worked properly, and even tweaked some of the functions exactly to their liking. To think that someone outsmarted and overrode every single command in its code to bypass it without so much as a trigger was the real reason Seto had threatened her, the younger knew. His dueling pride could be fixed; their computer systems being hacked was a different story. She had the same brash personality when he met her in person for the first time, right before the duel between her and Seto. If it hadn't been for the trouble she caused their company Mokuba may have said they were two peas in a pod, both stubborn, enjoying when a challenge was thrown at them, with the occasional foul language spewed in conversation. But he didn't expect her to be as scared as she'd been when she discovered the brothers sitting in her living room, being chummy with her family as they awaited the inevitable. He knew she'd be repaying them with some sort of work, but he didn't think Seto would drag her into helping create a new security system. "You sure you thought this over, Seto?" he asked on their way back to their apartment. "You're just giving her another way into our database; just imagine what she could do with that information."

Seto exhaled sharply through his nose as he reached for his flask. "Somehow that girl figured out how to bypass all our codes. There were twenty-five layers to overriding the system, something that would take hours. She didn't have hours. I need to know how she did it, and more importantly, make an example out of that smartass."

"Why not just make her a secretary or something?" To that the elder brother, who was writing something, crushed the papers when his fingers pulled inward. Right. Bad idea. The last thing the Kaiba Corp. staff needed to see was their CEO chasing his little slave around, possibly armed if he ran past one of his sentries. And with Sandra's mother now knowing about the situation, violence was far from the answer. They needed to approach this in a professional manner. "Are you at least going to have her monitored? I don't trust her with a computer, let alone one of ours."

"Her computer will be monitored at all times. I'll have a direct line connecting it with mine so I can keep an eye on everything she does."

"And where will she be working?" The idea wasn't sitting well with the COO, and he was beginning to regret telling Seto. Neither of them wanted the delinquent to interact with the employees, even if she technically was working for them. At the same time she couldn't be near either one of them.

Kaiba only hummed. "I'll have that figured out before Saturday morning." Which meant he was stumped on the subject. He'd gone from writing to typing on his personal laptop, configuring an email for his new tech slave on the rules and regulations of working at Kaiba Corporation - not that he thought she'd actually read it. It was more for him to be able to shove his power in her face. Part of him expected she'd check her email and read his so he wouldn't have to reiterate the dress code to her in person. "I just pray she doesn't walk in dressed like she was during our duel."

She was all he talked about for the remainder of the day: how he was going to work her ragged, make her regret the day she decided to create the video - which to his genuine surprise had been taken down from her YouTube page. Kaiba calculated how much she'd caused in damages; adding the cost of the duel disk he regretfully gave to her without mentioning any payment and defamation of character, Sandra would be working for him until she had to collect her pension. Mokuba couldn't get a word out before Seto cursed the girl's name and threw another fit. How had she hacked the security system? He'd customized it to exact guidelines only himself and Mokuba had full access to, and the girl dismantled it in such a short time. It pissed him off to no end. But come Saturday his payback would begin.

And the day finally came, the week occupying him with meetings and other matters which drew his mind from the delinquent for once. Seto purposely had the town car sent to Sandra's residence to be certain she arrived at the building on time. Even on Saturdays the elder Kaiba was a relentless worker, often staying overnight until his tasks were completed to perfection, but he'd ensured he got some sleep the night before. He wanted to remember seeing her squirm under his foot. Even though it was only a Saturday Kaiba made a point to dress professionally for the girl's arrival in an attempt to make the first of many points he'd be making during her 'internship'. Mokuba elected to sit out the introduction and tended to Kaiba Land's monthly inspection with Roland by his side, leaving the CEO alone to deal with his new subordinate. The town car pulled up to the entrance and the doorman stepped out to retrieve the passenger. Kaiba couldn't hear much aside from his pacing echoing throughout the lobby, ignoring the secretary's lingering stare on his back. His own footsteps were soon silenced by two other pairs, one clacking against the floor like stilettos until they abruptly stopped and were followed by a soft, "Fuck," as something thudded against the marble tiles. The doorman rounded the corner to the Kaiba Corp. lobby and gestured his hand to the CEO, and a few seconds later the culprit appeared. She dusted herself off - from planting face-first into the floor, Kaiba assumed - and fixed her hair until her bangs fell back into place. She'd been dreading this day all week, hoping her mother had wiped the incident from her memories so the teen could sleep in for another four hours. "I must say," the brunet began, "I'm shocked. You actually look like a respectable member of society."

"Ha, ha, go fuck your dragons," she retorted much to the dismay of the others in her presence. She hated the outfit her mother had picked out. The two had gone shopping in the local mall to find clothing more suited for a professional work environment; Catherine couldn't have her daughter parading around the office with ripped jeans. The black pants and white V-neck shirt combination didn't leave her feeling all exposed, at the very least, and the rose dust cardigan was added 'for flair' as per Anzu's suggestion. Her mother insisted that she wear heels, to which the teen grumbled until her mother nagged her ears off. Her red headphones hung around her neck, heavy metal still blasting through their speakers. "Okay, I'm here. Let's get this over with."

"Just a minute." Sandra huffed and rolled her eyes at Kaiba's suddenly assertive tone. He shooed the doorman away with a flick of the wrist and motioned for Sandra to follow him to the elevator. He pressed the button to the twenty-ninth floor when she stepped in and stood beside the rows of buttons, watching her closely through the rippled reflection on the stainless steel walls. She was lost in her own little world, eyes wandering from ceiling to floor as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"How kind of you," she said to break the awkward silence, "for actually allowing me to see where I'm going this time. I know the decision to not have me kidnapped again was getting under your skin."

He sucked his teeth. She just couldn't wait to piss him off. The elevator ride already seemed longer than it was supposed to be. Kaiba glared at her through the reflection on the wall and watched her twirl her hair around her index finger. Her bangs bothered him with the way they covered the right side of her face. "Did you just crawl out of bed or something?" he inquired, venom in his voice. "Your hair looks like some American 'scene kid' middle schooler."

Sandra scoffed but didn't turn to face him. "At least I have a sense of style. Your hair never left the 90's." She could be a wasp, too.

"You've got a comment for everything, don't you?"

"Feeling a little inferior, ass wipe?" She finally turned his way just as the elevator door opened. Kaiba pushed past her and gestured his chin forward until she continued to follow him. The employees watching them pass didn't dare say a word or react to the scene unfolding before them. Never in a million years did anyone ever think Seto Kaiba would invite the woman who'd slandered him online into his building, let alone his office. They waited until the two were behind closed doors before whispers were shared amongst themselves.

She had to admit, with the way the sunlight filled the room, the office was actually a nice space. She wasn't able to take in the full view of the room when she'd been brought in for her special meeting with the boss. The desk was at least the size of her bed, the dark mahogany contrasting against the carolina blue tiled floor and granite gray walls. It was a four-walled space that seemed to span forever thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows at the back and the frosted glass inlay framing the door. A Blue Eyes had been etched into the front of the desk and highlighted with silver and metallic blue paint to add depth. Kaiba walked around the desk and sat in the high-backed black leather swivel chair and knitted his hands together as he laid them atop a pewter table mat. "Take a seat, Evans. You're gonna be here a while."

"Okay..." Sandra's eyebrows knitted together. She accepted his invitation and lowered herself into one of the thick leather chairs facing the window, laying her bag against the left side.

Kaiba cleared his throat. "Sandra Evans, welcome to the first day of what will be your nightmare. Doing what you did was a grave mistake, and you're lucky I've decided against pressing charges. You'll be working directly under me to rebuild my security system from scratch. You will arrive at 8am sharp and work until 8pm with two one-hour breaks allowed on your shift. You will code, design and put together every aspect of this system without any assistance from my staff, since you were apparently smart enough to break through it on your own." He noticed her eyebrows raise at this and found some amusement in her pre-suffering. "You will be allowed computer access that's limited only to your work; all other sites and features will be blocked so you can't waste your time on social media." That hit a nerve with her. "With your mother's permission you'll be working under me every weekend until it's one-hundred percent to my liking. Any changes I request will be made promptly and without protest. And while I'm unable to push you through any windows..." Kaiba stood up and leaned forward on his hands, his stare darkening. "...I will work you like a pack mule. Do we have an understanding, Miss Evans?"

Sandra grit her teeth. He had her exactly where he wanted her. "Yeah...whatever," she hissed with reluctance as she crossed her arms. "I'm assuming you want to keep your enemies close by, so my office will be right up your ass. Is that correct?"

"Precisely." He pretended he hadn't heard the second half of her statement. "But before I show you to your work station, there's something you and I must clear up." The CEO lifted off the desk and walked around it, hands folded behind his back, until he stood directly in front of Sandra, and he leaned to sit on the mahogany. "How did you manage to break through my security system? " It was a simple question with massive weight lying in the answer.

She was expecting him to ask that question sooner or later. "I suppose I'm in no position to avoid it, so I'll bite." Sandra crossed her legs and settled deeper into the chair. "I've got more experience with computers than you may know, my dear Targaryen. I've been tinkering with them since I was a kid: taking them apart, examining their inner workings. It's part of the reason I got expelled from my last school. You see, I had an elaborate prank to pull and needed access to the school overnight. Of course the principal would never allow a student to access the school's computer and security systems, so I had to figure it out on my own. All it took was a few clipped wires, some rerouting, and a couple of firewall breaches to not only unleash the greatest prank in Bodwell High School history, but to edit a few grades in classes I didn't particularly enjoy." Sandra stretched one arm over the back of the chair and rested her heel on the cushion, much to Kaiba's annoyance. "Your security system wasn't that different, to be honest. It took me a while longer to work out the kinks I'm sure you and your little gremlin created from scratch, but with your quirks I was able to figure it out. Easy peasy lemon squeezy." She snapped her fingers. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but that minesweeper you called a security system was pretty cheap."

"And you believe you can do better than that?"

"It's not like I have much choice here," she replied with a shrug of her shoulders. "And while I'd rather spend my weekends being murdered instead of doing you a service, my hands are unfortunately tied."

She was really trying to get a rise out of him, and even with him in the position of power, Kaiba was getting pissed off quite fast. "This won't be a vacation for you, Evans. I'm gonna wear you down until your fingers bleed. You're lucky I'm even giving you the long breaks."

"And access to the food court. Don't forget that. I need sustenance to survive." Kaiba pushed off the desk and strode past Sandra before the urge to slap her overpowered his logic, and stared at the wall to his right. Sandra raised an eyebrow, parting her lips to ask what hallucination he was staring at now, but he quieted her thoughts when his hand met a panel and pushed it open. "A secret door. Why am I not surprised?"

"For once, you should hold your tongue," he snapped at her. She took the hint and got up from her chair to follow him into the other room, which to her surprise once more, was much nicer than she expected. The setup was close to identical to Kaiba's office minus the gaudy decorative details, though she did take notice of the beep that followed when the secret door shut. A mini fridge was plugged into the wall by the window next to a recliner and coffee table. "Welcome to your quarters. I was going to put you in a cage but Mokuba persuaded me otherwise, so you should count yourself lucky." He pointed to the opposite wall. "To the right is an entryway to Mokuba's office. But don't count on begging him for help. You're cleaning up the mess you made." She seemed annoyed but overall unfazed by his words. Kaiba felt a headache coming on and hurried to the main door. "Well then, get to work, Miss Evans."

Sandra crossed her arms. "And you go have fun with Puff the Magic Dragon." He grit his teeth, refusing to look back at her as she settled behind the desk, rocking back and forth in the swivel chair until it nearly tipped over. Kaiba left her to begin work and returned to his own office. The second he sat down he pulled out his flask and took a long, desperate sip of what remained. Was he going to regret his decision, he wondered, already feeling exhausted by her. Her very existence was a thorn in his side by that point, her mouth and words the poison. How was it possible to hate someone so much after only seeing them within a three day span? Even Yugi's group had more time before the CEO was turning his nose up to them in disgust. It was as he put the empty flask in his drawer that Mokuba stepped into his office, Roland by his side and bowing to his boss.

"The inspection went well," Mokuba began, slapping a manila folder onto his brother's desk. "Every ride passed and the only things in need of repairs are minor or cosmetic. They'll be completed by Tuesday." The good news did nothing to lift Kaiba's sour moon. The younger brother dismissed Roland and waited until the two were alone to address the elephant in the room. "So... I see you're not throwing phones anymore."

"Do NOT mention that bitch," Seto retorted. "She may be working under me now, but her personality can still get her in trouble worse than what she's already in." He booted up his laptop and logged in, typing away until he opened a program and had Sandra on live video. He curled his fingers together and rested his chin atop as he watched her every move, not paying any mind to his brother peering over his shoulder to see what was going on. "I wonder if she even knows I installed a camera in her work space." But even if she did, Seto asked himself, would she really care? She pasted her face online all the time; being recorded by a security camera was no different to her than the one she used to create her videos. Flaunting was her thing, and knowing her, she might actually like idea of being filmed. Sandra had settled herself rather quickly in the office, treating it like a luxury bedroom with her shoes flung off to the side, legs tucked under her butt, a bottle of some drink already acquired from the mini fridge, and what sounded like muffled electric guitar strums and drumming. Kaiba's focus drifted from the security feed to the door panel and he stepped over to it. The moment it swung open his room filled with the screeching and rumbling voices of her heavy metal music. Mokuba covered his ears, the volume way higher than it should've been. One of Kaiba's eyes closed and he grit his teeth again. Her head was bopping to the music, swinging violently forwards and backwards at some parts as she typed vigorously on the computer. She noticed the brothers staring at her from her peripheral vision and she did a double take.

"Close the door! You're ruining my atmosphere!" Ten minutes. It had only been ten minutes, from what he counted. Kaiba marched to her desk and ripped her phone away to pause the music. "Hey!"

Kaiba slammed his hand on her desk. "What the fuck do you think you're doing? This isn't one of your little concert getaways. You're in a professional environment with other people who are trying to work!"

Sandra's brows knitted together as she sprang out of her chair. "Music helps me work, you asshole! So if you want me to code this thing to my best ability, then get the thorny branch out of your ass and let me do my thing!" Their glares magnetized to one another, gray and blue both trying to instill fear in the other. Mokuba could only watch the scene unfold before him, not sure what to say. It was the most awkward setting he'd been in since witnessing his brother's loss to Yugi in the Battle City semifinals. Remembering the duel, his mind began to compare the similarities of that duel to the argument brewing in the office. Kaiba didn't believe a word of what Sandra said and pushed her out of the way so he could check the computer and find evidence of her lies. It was almost comical: with the exception of the words they exchanged, Sandra and Seto yelling at each other was a near repeat of his and Yugi's banter when they dueled. He was obsessed with her in almost the same way, possibly more than besting his rival, and the comparison became parallel when Seto stood tall again and Sandra stared up at him. Three times in three short meetings, and the energy between them mirrored that of him versus the King of Games. And yet, with the way she carried herself and acted just like him - which Mokuba knew his brother would never admit - the younger Kaiba couldn't help but wonder if the energy was more than sheer hatred.

Minutes later Seto backed off and turned toward his office. "Fine, play your trash, but keep it at a reasonable volume. I don't want to hear that shit through my walls again. Understand?"

"Oh, I understand crystal clear." She swiped her finger across her phone screen until she found the desired song and lowered the volume to half of what it was, then pressed the play button as her boss looked over his shoulder to see what she was doing. The main chorus of the track played and she mouthed along with the words, and flipped him the bird. 'Hey, you! What the fuck is wrong with you? Hey, you! What the fuck is wrong with you?' Kaiba sneered and slammed the wall panel shut, leaving Mokuba in the room with her.

With Kaiba gone Sandra finally settled down and fell back into the chair. She lifted the bottle of Gatorade to her lips and took a long sip of the blue liquid before returning to her typing. She glanced at Mokuba once briefly before rolling her shoulders and leaning forward. "I'm surprised you want to stay with what you just heard."

Mokuba plopped himself in the chair in the corner. "Why do you hate my brother so much?" he asked. Everyone who did something similar to her actions had a reason: fame, blackmail, lust for riches or power. For a split second it gave him Big Five flashbacks and he shuddered at the possibility that she could be the sixth.

"I don't necessarily hate him," she started. "It's his ego that pisses me off. He treats people like a shit stain on his boot, and, well, putting him in his place got me a lot of views and new subscribers."

"Has he ever done anything to you personally?"

"No." She shrugged and clicked at something on the computer. "I honestly only did it because my page needed new content. But his reaction made it even more worth it. Now I know what makes him tick." That didn't really explain it, but he felt that was the most he'd get out of her.

* * *

Kaiba didn't speak to her again until her first break arrived at 12:30 and she crossed paths with him in the hallway. Sandra's eyes met his as she turned to face him, her bangs floating away from her face momentarily, and her gaze told him she wanted to say something. "What is it?" he inquired.

"Yeah, uhh, where's the bathroom?" He was the last person she wanted to ask for directions but his secretary had left for lunch, and he was the only one she could find on floor 29 without getting lost. "And the kitchen, while you're at it. I need a snack." No snide commentary from her. It almost impressed him. Rather than tell her and have the information go in one ear and out the other, Kaiba reluctantly escorted her to the nearest facilities and rested his back against the wall. She reached a hand to the door handle but stopped when he didn't leave. "You're gonna wait here?"

"It would aggravate me to no end if you were to get lost on your first day here," he spat. "Hurry up. You haven't got all day." Her stare lingered for a second more before she conceded and rushed into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

She'd needed more than just relief. No matter how hard she tried to hide it, Sandra was beginning to feel the stress press into her brain. Hacking into an already existing system was child's play to her, but to create an entirely new one from scratch? It's like he knew she'd struggle with it. A moment away from the desk and the thorn in her side calmed her a bit, allowing her room to think before her head exploded. But he'd enjoy that, wouldn't he? She couldn't show any weakness in front of him. Sandra turned on thee faucet and splashed cold water onto her face. "Just play it cool," she told herself, "the first day's almost over." She dried her face and hands with the towel hanging beside the sink and felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She pulled it out and read a text message from Ryuji, asking how the first day of work was going. Telling the Breakfast Club ignited Jonouchi's anger and he warned out loud that Kaiba needed to square up so he could beat the bitch out of him. Anzu relaxed the crowd by pulling on the blond's ear to shut him up. She deserved what she got, Anzu acknowledged, and Hiroto couldn't say anything in disagreement when the video replayed in his mind. She texted Ryuji back, saying things were tense but she was managing, and when he responded with, 'I'll take you out for a romantic meal once this is all over', she responded with a simple 'K' and shoved the phone back into her pocket. "Wow, he really doesn't know when to give up."

 **"You shouldn't string the boy along if you don't intend to reciprocate his feelings."** Sandra shuddered and her head whipped up to look in the mirror. Her reflection had a life of its own once again, eyes squinted as it spoke to her. **"What is wrong with you? You're not supposed to be enjoying this punishment."**

Sandra sucked her teeth. "What did I say about nagging, Karen?"

 **"My name is Uadjit."** The reflection's stare intensified.

"Yeah, well, unless you have your own body, your name is whatever the hell I say it is."

The reflection's eyes widened and the temperature in the room dropped, the walls taking on a hue of gray and purple. Before she could speak her reflection stepped out of the mirror and stood before her, hair away from her eyes and a stare reminiscent of Kaiba's boring holes into the teen. The translucent form took a step forward, then another when she saw the fear in Sandra's eyes, and reached her hand for the teen's chest. Sandra swatted her hand away to no avail, her fingers phasing through the figment's grasp. The reflection's hand entered Sandra's body between her breasts and Sandra swore she could feel something wrap around her heart.

Something banged on the door. Sandra's head whipped in its direction when it happened a second time. "Are you dead in there? You're wasting my time!" Kaiba's angered voice distracted her from the illusion and when she turned back to it her reflection's body was gone, sucked back into the mirror and acting normal. Sandra swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. She unlocked the bathroom door and rushed out, right into Kaiba's chest and knocked him back a foot. "What's your problem, Evans?"

She didn't have a response other than a soft, "Sorry," averting her eyes from his glare. She waited for him to begin walking before she stepped away from the bathroom, glancing over her shoulder to the mirror. The reflection stared on until she turned back, though it didn't follow Sandra's actions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sandra's playlist consists of a mix of Dragonforce, Combichrist, Metallica and Slipknot. the song Kaiba walks in on is Dragonforce's 'Through the Fire and the Flames'. The song she plays to taunt Kaiba is Combichrist's 'What The Fuck Is Wrong With You'.
> 
> Sandra's business outfit: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/736197870311963240/
> 
> Kaiba's suit: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/266697609153124119/


	8. Zil Alshabh

Marik's eyes scrolled down the page of his textbook, and when he found nothing, he sighed and laid it with the others he'd gone through. Not one single text told him or Isis anything of the existence of a 'lost' Millennium Item. Not even anything in the family records stated anything out of their ordinary, and perhaps it was due to their constant eye on the pharaoh's tomb. Though not heavily alarmed, he, Rishid and Isis decided to research the object that Yugi questioned; normally he'd dismiss it, but because of who the information came from, they proceeded with caution. The pharaoh's tomb and the stone tablet within didn't provide much else aside from what they already knew: a great battle for the fate of the world would soon come. Yugi acquired almost everything needed to aid the pharaoh's spirit when the Ishtars gave him the Millennium Necklace and Rod so nothing seemed to be missing from the history books. Marik gave up on the books and decided to join his siblings in the museum basement to dig through the artifacts in storage.

He never imagined having to solve an ancient mystery and coming up empty-handed. His lineage consisted of service to the Egyptian royal families over millennia. Everything from a monarch's birth to their death was recorded by an Ishtar and passed down to their next of kin. It was only after the practice of shadow magic began, during the reign of Anedjib, when the Ishtars ceased keeping their records on papyrus for fear of enemies stealing their knowledge in the search for power over all of Egypt, and they instead carved their lives exclusively in stone tablets. Shadow magic use tripled during Semerkhet's reign - who history recorded to be the grandfather of the Millennium Puzzle's spirit - and ultimately resulted in the king's demise a mere eight years into his reign. Aknamkanon, his eldest son, learned from his father's mistakes and vowed to keep a tighter grip on the use of shadow magic. The reigns of Aknamkanon and his son were the most joyous and the most dangerous in the history of the early dynasties, even more so than that of Cleopatra. It ended with the young pharaoh sacrificing his life at the age of seventeen to stop an evil which could only be destroyed if he offered up his soul as payment. His cousin became the new ruler of Egypt and had a long reign, and made sure to protect the world from those who'd defiled the previous pharaoh's grave by sealing his tomb with the very shadow magic he once battled, and had his cousin's name removed from every single record. That's when the Ishtars took it upon themselves to keep the pharaoh's secret with them through death and generations, and the ritual scarification began. Though he initially hated the ritual Marik grew the appreciate the trust put within his family to bear such a secret, and now that he needed his knowledge to solve a new mystery, the lack of answers left an uncomfortable sensation in his gut.

The lights were already on as he presumed they'd be. Isis and Rishid had started their search in the basement while their brother looked upstairs. He found them congregated with several curators and museum staff, his sister directing them on where to search and what to look for. As they waited for Yugi to send a clear photograph of the object in question they relied on the sketch he'd sent them via email as their starting point and dug through the smaller crates first. "It may be a brooch," Isis suggested, "or part of a piece of jewelry. Though he claimed the girl wore it as a pendant its origins may differ from that." Which was a possibility, considering the email mentioned the owner found it in a flea market. There was no way of telling exactly what it was until they received the photo, but they could at least narrow down the search by then. A long table, five meters long, stood on the left side of the room next to an aisle, where the museum staff carried crates over to be opened and examined. The curators handled the artifacts, wearing white cotton gloves to protect the delicate objects, and laid them on the black tablecloth lined with lamps and paperwork detailing information on their origins. Many of the chosen objects were jewelry, ranging from rings to headpieces and bracelets. The curators examined each artifact carefully, looking for any signs of chipping that may have been missed during the initial examination; when they found nothing on the object it was passed on to Isis and Rishid. While they no longer relied on the powers of the Items to guide them their rich lineage allowed the Ishtars to find even the tiniest chip in the ancient paints on the artifacts. They'd found needles in haystacks before and could do it again. When Marik joined them he took his place beside Isis and observed the staff at work. "Nothing we already don't know?" she asked, to which he hummed a single flat note. "As I suspected. We haven't uncovered anything, either; our artifacts are in perfect condition."

"So then it has to be a stand-alone piece," Marik concluded, "an actual necklace, not a broken remnant." Which made the search trickier. A lot of the jewelry was unique, having its own special touches that none with a similar design possessed. There were plenty of designs ranging from deities to animals, hieroglyphs and even body parts. He picked up the drawing again and studied it closer. A falcon, from what he could tell based on the shape. "Narrow it down to all pieces representing Horus," he told the curators, who quickly got to work boxing the artifacts that didn't match. "Anything with an amulet or charm." The handlers carted crates back and forth, bringing the biggest ones back to their storage units and switching them for smaller ones. Only necklaces and collars remained on the table within the hour, most matching the color scheme described. Those that didn't match the shape were eliminated and they were left only with amulets strung with woven gold strings. "I think this is as far as we'll get for now."

Rishid began to list all the potential necklaces on a separate sheet of paper. There were nine possible choices to compare the necklace to, four of them nearly identical to the shape and specific feather patterns Yugi tried his best to describe. "We should stop here for the time being. Until we have more information there's no way of telling exactly which relic it was copied from."

"Agreed," Isis replied. "It's late anyway; we should retire for the night." Long ago Marik would've argued against going home, but their days of underground isolation were over. They now called Mit Akaba home: close enough to the pyramids and museum where they could conduct work, yet within a thriving neighborhood that made their former abode pale in comparison. Isis' job with the Egyptian SCA, as well as Marik and Rishid's new positions as archaeological guides, allowed them to live comfortably in a cozy apartment with all the amenities they'd dreamed of having years before. Their status among the historical society gave them a small wealth that let them afford all the luxuries they'd craved, including the very motorcycle Marik saw on his first walk above ground: a present for his seventeenth birthday from his siblings. They left the museum staff to see to everything being taken care of before they departed and walked back to their home.

Marik had changed a lot since the events of Battle City. The boy who longed to be free, who she'd witness be tortured and scarred by their father, and who'd taken revenge upon the man that brought years of turmoil onto the family was now kind and carefree and almost always smiling. But the tombkeeper's ritual and years of suppressing the darkness within him had a lasting effect on the youngest Ishtar, and for the first time since their childhood he was taken to a doctor. Upon examination the physician asked why they hadn't sought help sooner for him, and immediately referred them to a psychiatric medical team for Marik's treatment. Cyclothemia was the diagnosis - a severe case, brought on by both genetics and the abuse he experienced at the hands of his father. Rishid and Isis felt guilty for not helping him sooner. Had they been able to escape and support themselves earlier their brother might not have suffered, but the doctor informed them that it wasn't necessarily true. He was prescribed lithium to help with the depressive and manic episodes, and within two months the Ishtars saw a huge difference in him.

They got home shortly after six in the evening and settled down from the day's work. Rishid waltzed to the kitchen to prepare dinner for the three of them while his brother plopped on the couch with his laptop and his sister changed into a nightgown. It was strange at times, they'd silently admit, to be where they were now. It was the most normal their lives had ever been, and Marik especially was beginning to enjoy the constant calm. He and his brother were preparing to lead a group of researchers to the lesser pyramids for a dig, providing the younger brother a great distraction from Millennium Items and shadow games. Marik checked his email. He was expecting a final confirmation for the number of archaeologists they'd be escorting to the dig site. The professor in charge responded, stating the three other individuals joining him, and confirmed the meet-up time at the museum. "We're in the clear for the dig, Rishid," he yelled to his brother across the apartment. "Ten days from today. Only four escorts. A lot less than last time." A sigh escaped his lips. "What a relief. I don't think I can handle groups any bigger than that."

"You handled it well last time, considering we were hosting a class," Rishid assured him as he handed the teen a bowl of kushari. "Though I must say, you seemed to be enjoying yourself when those young girls were fawning over you." Marik stopped halfway to scooping his food and stared at Rishid, who was close to a fit of laughter from the way his brother blushed.

"Ra help me... You promised not to bring that up!"

Then Isis, now in a nightgown with her hair braided back, hid a giggle behind her hand when she entered the main space. "Oh, but Marik, we adore the way you look when you're flustered." She ruffled his hair as she walked behind him and half sat on the couch arm to his right. He shot air from his nose and grumbled under his breath, returning his attention to his inbox. Aside from work and his friends there wasn't much for him to read, not counting the spam he deleted daily and news from overseas concerning the economies of various countries... Then something crossed his mind. What had he done with Bakura's Millennium Ring? Last he had it he had control over Anzu's mind. His memory fuzzed between then and when he reassumed control over his body, only able to remember bits and pieces of the rest of the Battle City finals. Whatever he couldn't recall was told to him by his siblings and friends, but the only ones who could possibly tell him the potential whereabouts of the Ring either resided within it, or were destroyed in the mission to regain his body. Maybe he should ask his sister. His lips parted and face turned halfway before freezing at the ding of a new email. A message from Yugi titled 'Item in Question: Photo' appeared in bold at the top of the list. He opened the message and read the text to himself.

_Hey, Marik. I managed to find a better picture of Sandra's necklace, but I could only find one of the front. I'll try to get you one for the back ASAP. Thanks again._

_-Mutou Yugi_

Isis happened to glance at the screen at the same moment Marik clicked on the attachment. A new window opened with a photo of the girl and necklace in question. Marik's eyes narrowed as he zoomed in to get a better look at the pendant. "Well we can definitely confirm it's not a Millennium Item," he said out loud. "The design is Egyptian - no doubting that - but none of the items have color." He slid a finger across the laptop's touchpad to move the mouse to point at the pendant's chain. "Braided gold... I've gotta say, I'd be impressed if this was a knock-off. No details were spared. Even the paint looks dated and cracked." He moved the mouse down to the falcon's right wing and circled around it.

Isis leaned closer to the screen, her eyes squinting from its brightness. "We'll only be able to tell if it's real in person-" Her voice cut off. Her eyes grew wide. Marik took quick notice of this and waved his hand in front of her face. When he received no response he yelled for Rishid to come at once and figure out what was wrong with her. Isis couldn't hear either of their voices or even see them anymore. Her mind had been drawn away into a darkness all too familiar to her. She'd seen it the first time she used shadow magic, shortly before turning sixteen, when she experienced her first vision. The first time was reminiscent of a nightmare: flashes of people being sucked into the depths of hell, youth going above and beyond to destroy each other, and then her little brother losing his last bits of sanity before stabbing Rishid through the heart with the hidden dagger of the Millennium Rod. But it made no sense. She'd never been a clairvoyant without the Millennium Necklace. It _had_ stayed on her person since she first put it on, she admitted, but before then nothing ever happened. Had the Item left some lasting side effects on her like the Rod had to Marik and the Puzzle to Yugi? She couldn't question it; the darkness was sucked into a light and scattered events flowed into Isis' mind. Shadow magic surrounding a figure, a bloodied knife held downward in a hand, a cynical laugh that morphed into a demonic cackle, the pharaoh's shadow illuminated by fire, and a voice chanting in the ancient tongue: 

_"Sawf tasqut alihatak, sawf tatalashaa ruhuka. Sawf yanqasim alainqisam aleazimu. Sawf yudi' alnuwr min eaynayk , wahakdhana ymkn 'an 'ajmae habia wa'anaa."_

"Sister!" Isis snapped out of her trance and rejoined reality. Rishid's hands were on her shoulders, Marik's left on her forehead, the right wiping a tear that had dripped from her eye. "Sister, are you alright? What happened?" Isis blinked hard. Had she really been out for that long? Her hand rested atop Marik's and she nodded to him.

"I'm alright. I just... I think I had a vision."

"A vision?" Rishid repeated, eyes growing wider. "But you relinquished the Necklace to Yugi; you shouldn't be able to still use its magic." He helped Isis onto the couch, Marik sliding over so she could sit beside him, and Rishid sat on the small coffee table parallel to the furniture. He was used to seeing Marik spontaneously go in and out of trances, but not her. She'd always announced when she was glancing into the future or past. But the Necklace was gone.

Isis stared down at her hands. "I'm as confused as you, Rishid. And this one wasn't like those I experienced with the Necklace. It was sporadic, scattered in little moments instead of running as one consistent thought." A lump had formed in her throat and she forced it down with a hard swallow. "...I fear the danger has resurfaced." By then Marik had set the laptop aside, keeping his full attention on Isis. He hurried to the kitchen to fetch her some water, and when he took a peek at her over his shoulder, he saw her stare magnetized to the photo still open on the laptop. Lapis concentrated on the red, blue and gold painted on the falcon the girl in the picture wore dangling from her neck. "We will meet with this girl when we return to Japan to close the exhibit at Domino Museum. Only then will we be able to find the answers we seek." She sipped from her water cup once, finding herself growing increasingly uncomfortable the longer she stared at the girl's face.

* * *

She didn't understand why Mokuba was hanging around her. He didn't leave her office that Saturday until almost eight at night, having spent most of the time getting to know the 'crazy-haired bitch', as Seto called her in conversation. She'd answered all his questions: how she ended up moving halfway around the world, how she became so proficient with computers, even menial topics like favorite foods and preferred gum flavors. It continued on into Sunday when she returned for her second day of work. He'd made himself at home in the corner recliner and raided her mini fridge for a soda. "Okay," he continued with the interrogation, his body slumped and halfway off the chair as he fiddled with his locket, "favorite genre of movies?"

"Horror," Sandra replied without hesitation. "The characters' stupidity is hilarious." His interview did little to distract her from the computer. "Now I get to ask. How the hell did such a dipshit like Kaiba get you for a brother? I mean, you two are almost polar opposites."

"Could say the same about you and Jason." He had a point. "Seto's not all bad. He just has a hard time opening up to people. He prefers to show through his actions instead of giving a lengthy speech." Mokuba half glanced at Sandra, noting the skepticism written all over her face, and continued where he'd left off. "Next question. What's up with your hair? Seto keeps calling you a-"

"A middle school scene kid. I know. It's just my aesthetic." He had no idea what that meant and she picked up on it when she turned his way for a second. "Compare it to your brother's 'infatuation' with his jizz dragon. I'm honestly shocked there isn't a giant one wrapped around this building." Her eyes shifted back to the computer and she grabbed the bottle of blue Gatorade to its left. Sipping the remainder of the bottle, she flicked it aside with little effort and landed it perfectly in the corner trash can. "Hey, kid, I just remembered something I had to tell you."

Mokuba sat up at the sound of his name. "Before you even try," he cut her off, "Seto already told me not to help you with any part of the coding." Sandra groaned and rested her hands on top of the keyboard.

"I know that! I was going to tell you to tell him that he needs to change the passcode to his office."

"...What?"

Sandra rolled her eyes and scoffed as she pushed herself from the swivel chair. "Hello! I hacked into your security system and got that bill, remember? He had it open on his laptop when I found my way in." Her arms stretched high above her head. As comfortable as the chair was, she told herself, it was starting to hurt her body. She made a mental note to ask Kaiba about the possibility of getting a gel cushion to keep her ass from getting sore. Not only that, but the material of the professional clothes her mother bought made her slide off the leather upholstery, further damaging her posture and tensing her muscles. The fact that the dark blue pants and silk gray shirt clung to her like a glove didn't make it any more comfortable, especially when sliding off the chair caused her pants and underwear to sandwich in her behind.

Mokuba rolled forward and stood up. "You're bluffing."

"8-2-3-2. He based it off his Blue Eyes. Eight for the monster's level, two for the number of sacrifices, three for the first number in its attack strength, and 2 for the first in its defense." She watched the kid's jaw fall open. "Correct me if I'm wrong." When he didn't reply she nodded with a single 'I told you so' blink and sat back down, propping her feet on top of the desk. "He's waaaaay too easy to read, Mokuba. But I'm going to fix that in the programming. If you want your shit to be safe, you have to set little traps. Let anyone who dares to try and copy me get a virus in their little tablets with something as simple as a wifi channel."

"And exactly how do you plan on executing that?" The brash, husky voice broke the nonchalant air and both parties turned their attention to the CEO strolling into Sandra's office via the main door. Kaiba adjusted the cuffs of his sleeves before planting his hands on top of the desk, using his left to knock her feet off the edge. "I thought I told you you're on your own with this little project, Evans, so stop trying to rope Mokuba into it."

Her eyes rolled again as she pushed onto her toes and forced the back of the chair to recline. "I heard you the first time, Your Majesty. And i wasn't trying to coerce him to do anything; he's here of his own accord." Kaiba opened his mouth to protest and was sharply cut off. "And before you go on another rant on how I'm your bitch, you might want to huddle up with your COO and think of a new passcode to your office. 8-2-3-2 was so predictable." Her voice lowered when his eyes grew into saucers, his hands closing into tight fist. He'd known she somehow got into his personal quarters, but to hear the exact details, how Sandra had figured out his quirks and ticks, left him speechless, unsure of whether to be enraged or impressed. "Well?" Sandra relaxed her legs and set the chair back into its natural position as she sized him up.

Kaiba could only sneer at his smartass employee. "...Just stay focused on your work," he muttered, turning on heel and exiting the room before she could retaliate with another quip. The door slammed behind him, making a point to those inside and outside her office that he was better left alone, lest he bite anyone's head off. A heavy sigh left Sandra's lips as she shook off whatever he was trying to pull and returned to typing, taking a moment to find where she'd left off. Mokuba left the chair and headed out the door after his brother, glancing over his shoulder once to check on the frustrated teen staring hard at her computer to block out the brothers' presence. Sandra turned her music back on and selected a Combichrist track to relax to; by the first set of lyrics she was lost in her work.

It took her a while to notice the air suddenly growing colder. She stepped away from the computer momentarily and hopped to the thermostat on the wall, turning the dial. It went up to 23 degrees Celsius and she returned to the desk, making a mental note to break for lunch soon. By the time her lunch break approached the room was still freezing, and she began to wonder if the thermostat was broken. "You'd think the rich bitch had enough decency to keep the room cozy for his little slave," she mused to herself, her sweater pulled on after being unable to handle the cold any longer.

 **"Getting a chill, are we?"** Sandra tensed. Her skin prickled beneath her clothes as the cold air seemed to find a way under the fabric. Her eyes darted from the computer screen to the space in front of the desk and she jumped from her chair at the sight of the haunted reflection from the day before, standing before her in an identical copy of her own business outfit. The spectral figure sauntered slowly around the left side of the desk, eyes locked with the teenager, and settled herself in the very recliner Mokuba sat in hours before. **"You really must stop with the dramatic reaction every time we speak. It's quite bothersome."** Hearing the voice on its own was something she could deal with; it began to get out of hand when strange sensations would randomly take over her body. The appearance of a translucent figment sitting next to her, appearance close to an exact copy of herself, Sandra really started to question her own sanity. The figment's face looked as if she wore makeup: her lashes long, eyes lined with black in a cat's eye point, cheeks flushed and glowing, and lips plump in a shade matching red wine. She smirked at Sandra's lingering eyes and tilted her head to the side, brushing her sun-kissed locks away from her face. **"See something you like, dear?"**

"N-no, I..." Sandra rolled her shoulders and shook her hair out. "...Every time I see you it's like you're-"

 **"Developing my own identity? Or simply copying yours? You must learn to speak up when in my presence, Sandra, otherwise our conversations won't have the most pleasant ending."** Like she had the day before, the figment made her way over to the girl, who pushed her chair backwards to escape her touch, and outstretched her right hand. She walked until she had Sandra between herself and the opposite wall, then took one more step forward and laid her hand over Sandra's heart. The teen's heart rate was out of control, beating erratically as her breathing became uneven and sweat dripped down the back of her neck. **"Oh, come now, Sandra. There's no reason to be afraid of me. I'm your friend, here to be your shoulder to lean on whenever..."** Her voice trailed off when there was a knock on the office door. Both of them turned their attention to the opening door and Mokuba stepped into the office.

"Sandra, it's getting late. I wanted to know if you-" He paused when he noticed how frightened she looked. "You okay?"

She swallowed the lump in her throat and brushed her hair back into place. "Uhh, yeah. I just... I thought I heard a bird crash into the window." She hadn't even noticed how much time had passed. "I'm actually going to walk home tonight. I could use a little fresh air." She popped off the chair and gathered her belongings, saved her work, and rushed past Mokuba out of the office. Alone in the elevator as it trekked to the main level, Sandra leaned on the steel wall and rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache set in. "Get it together," she told herself, "you're just really stressed. You're in a new country, new environment; it can drive you nuts." Her headphones were placed around her head and she blasted the first track that came up. She was grateful to not have any lingering eyes on her with the way she stormed out of the building. It was fairly dark outside, the sun having just set below the horizon and the street lights beaming to life. Few people were on the streets at that hour. The solitude and slight breeze helped in calming her nerves, but the further she walked, the more lost she became. "Dammit." Sandra paused her music and slid the headphones around her neck as she surveyed the area and tried to figure out how to get home. She opened a map app on her phone and scrolled through only to see a battery shape flash on the screen. "Fuck me." Of course she'd forget to charge her phone at work. "Perfect. Can't read the street signs, my phone's dead. Just fucking perfect." Sandra groaned and walked further down whatever street she was on and searched for a bodega in the hopes of finding someone with enough English knowledge to give her directions.

Halfway down the block someone appeared to exit a building and turn her way. "Hey! Hey, can you help me out?" The person ignored her request and turned to their right into an alleyway. "Wait, you fucktard! I need directions so I can get the fuck home!" She grit her teeth and started to run after the person, grateful that she'd worn flats instead of pumps. Her bag rattled against her side in her sprint. "Would you stop already!" Sandra skidded and hopped to a halt when she noticed the figure had stopped at the dead end of the alley, and she leaned over with her hands on her knees to catch her breath. "Okay... now I REALLY hope you speak a little English because my Japanese is pure shit. Can you direct me to..." Her voice trailed off when she realized the person hadn't moved an inch or made any kind of gestures to her. She squinted and raised an eyebrow at the person in question, backlit with their face shrouded in the alley's shadows. Sandra took one step closer to whoever it was to try and adjust her sight to the darkness. "Uh...hello?"

"A little lost, are we?" The voice had a husky edge to it, as if its owner's throat were parched. "That's unfortunate." The person paced towards Sandra, and she could hear something metal ringing in his grasp every few seconds. A lamp attached to one of the buildings flickered to life, briefly going out then turning on again, spotlighting over the figure. The slacks and striped t-shirt's innocence was overrun by the black trench coat overlaid on his shoulders and back. His right hand balled in his coat pocket, and in his left was a chef's knife, spinning between his fingers and uttering the ringing metal noise she'd heard. A red tengu mask concealed his face from forehead to mouth and stared at her with beading yellow eyes, its white eyebrows long and waved in long locks that cover his head. "I see you're leaving the office quite late on a Sunday. Perhaps I should escort you home." He gripped the knife's handle tight and began to walk toward her.

Sandra backed away from him. "Look, whoever you are, I'm not worth shit. You're wasting your time." She held her hands up in surrender. Her words didn't deter the assailant, who raised the knife to his mouth and licked the blade's edge until he drew blood. "What's your deal? Do you just wait around for girls to creep on with murderous intent?"

"Not quite..." He snapped his fingers and Sandra felt something bump into her back. She turned behind her and saw a wall where the street had been five minutes before. "You see, we have some business I thought we'd settled some millennia ago. An old flame re-emerging was the last thing I expected to surface with the Millennium Items, but I'll consider it just another bump in the road to total domination." The assailant pointed the knife at Sandra, focusing its tip to the falcon pendant resting on her clavicle. Sandra spread her body wide against the wall and held onto the bricks for dear life, and it was only then that she began to see purple smoke rising from the ground.

"Millenn- What the fuck are you talking about?" She'd been in fights before, but all of them had been bare-knuckle brawls she could overpower her opponents in with speed. Her eyes darted around her and she saw a ladder hanging from a fire escape. Without another thought she bolted to her right and bounced off the wall with her foot, propelling herself upward to the first rung of the ladder. A hand wrapped around her ankle and yanked her back to the ground with a thud. "Ah--FUCK!" Sandra struggled to get back up, the back of her head pounding and scraped from glass on the ground, and froze when the assailant was mere inches from her, laying the point of the knife right above the falcon pendant. "What do you want with me, you freak?"

The assailant snickered to himself. "It's quite simple. I propose a game, a race against time, using the prank that got you here." The new wall soared higher than the buildings, which soon grew to match its height. The fire escape melted to the ground and the molten liquid turned bronze and twisted into itself. A hiss emerged from the liquid and black eyes watched her with a hunter's intent, and the body stretched to a long, slithering form. Gold overlaid the bronze and black lines in a diamond pattern as a head formed and towered over her. "Hanging above you is a bell. Your task is to reach the bell before it goes off. And because games are no fun without obstacles, I've provided you with one oh so familiar to you." He chuckled and the giant Taipan snake behind him opened its mouth to bare its fangs at Sandra. "Climb well, my dear." The smoke intensified as he cackled and enveloped him, leaving Sandra alone with the giant serpent.

"This can't be real."

"Oh, but it is!" The serpent hissed again and dove toward her. Sandra jumped out of the way just in time to avoid its fangs scraping where she stood seconds before. Venom dripped and spread through the broken concrete. "Hurry, now. Time is running out," his voice boomed. She shook her bag off her shoulder and ran to the wall again, kicking off the brick and propelling her body up. Her fingertips caught the edge of a brick and she clung to the wall. The serpent retracted and readied to strike again. It rammed into the bricks and Sandra pulled her legs up and tucked them to evade the snake. Its fangs got stuck in the concrete and she used the chance to get higher up. She stood on its wriggling head and sprinted into a jump to the other side of the alley, and grabbed onto another fire escape. Her hands barely caught the railing when the snake freed itself. Sandra ran up the stairs, the snake destroying them a moment later, and frantically searched above her for a bell and the sky. The bell was an easy find but the sky had vanished above the purple smoke. "What's the rush, darling? The game's only just begun!" On the fifth level of the fire escape the metal weakened and snapped beneath her step. She fell in between the grates, the jagged edges tearing her sleeves and skin before she caught herself on a rung. Sandra winced at the cut and did her best to ignore the pain radiating in her arms while continuing to climb up. The serpent's fangs barely reached her level and she began to calm for a moment until its tongue coiled around her ankles and swung her back and forth, slamming her into the walls. It then veered its head up and threw Sandra into the air, then opened its mouth and waited for her to land inside.

Sandra maneuvered her body in the air and managed to squirm just out of the snake's reach. Her fingers dug into the underside of its jaw, scraping off layers of scales, and she leaped back onto the fire escape, just catching the rails with her upper body. The serpent shot venom at the railings and melted the surface. A drop splashed onto her hand and burned her skin, to which she screamed and lost her balance. Her arms flapped on her sides as she tried to regain her footing, but the serpent tied its tongue around her neck and tore her from the fire escape. She smashed into the ground. Gravel and glass cut her across her entire body. Her lip bled when she staggered and stood. She wiped her lip with the back of her hand, her head ringing wildly, and found nothing but red across the entire surface. She held her head in her hands, brain swelling against her skull, and nearly missed the bell going off above her.

Sandra fell to her knees. The smoke pulled apart and the assailant emerged, arms crossed and grin stretched from ear to ear. "Oh, looks like you've run out of time. And what a mess you've made! After I showed you nothing but hospitality, this is how you thank me... You deserve to be punished." He knelt in front of Sandra and lifted her chin with his hand to meet her eyes. She hit his hand with a weak slap and moaned in agony.

"...W...why..." she spit out before dropping to the right and collapsing before him. Blood stained her jacket and mixed into her hair. The assailant sighed and removed his mask. Brown eyes glared at his victim with a devious smile.

"What a scene before me," Bakura mused to himself. "It's like deja vu. The red still compliments your hair." His fingers brushed against her cheek, and as he pressed the point of his knife to her throat, Sandra began to stir. His smile morphed into a frown, surprised and irritated that she somehow survived the assault. A fog enveloped her pendant and seeped around her body, spreading across every injury until they were nonexistent. "What?" Sandra rose and rubbed her head, shaking off the unconscious blur still in her eyes. "How are you still alive?"

She tensed at his voice. "Akefia...?" Sandra turned her head, and when Bakura saw her face, he knew he wasn't in front of the same girl anymore. She stared back with a familiar innocence in her eyes, the long lashes framing them oh so perfectly, and her lips were suddenly plump when she pursed them. "Akefia?" she repeated. Even her voice had changed. "Is it really you?"

Bakura's eyes widened and his body tensed. His name - his _true_ name... He hadn't heard it for thousands of years. He lifted his hand to her face but stopped before making contact, still in disbelief. Tears welled in the corners of her eyes and she pounced on him, wrapping her arms around tight as if he would vanish. She buried her face in the crook of his neck and let the tears flow. "Akefia! It's really you! I can't believe it!" She looked up at him again and caressed his right cheek. "Your scar is gone, but I know it's you... My love."

Five thousand years, and his spell had held perfectly. But a part of him still refused to believe she was really in front of him. He held her face in his hands and traced his thumbs over her cheek bones, earning a smile from the woman before him. "...Uadjit..." It was no trick. Bakura pulled her into a deep kiss, one hand slipping down to her waist. Hers carded into his hair and brought him closer, feeling his tongue scrape against her lips. Minutes later they separated, her hands still on him. "Your vessel is quite annoying."

"You don't need to tell me that," she replied. Her head tilted to the side. "And yours is...different. Your hair grew. And your eyes..." She met his gaze again.

"A vessel is a vessel, _ya zahrat alsahra'_. But to be with you in this life once more, to have found you after so long..." Uadjit pressed a finger to his lips before he could finish. She stood up and took his hands into hers as he joined her. They embraced again, Akefia holding her protectively and resting his chin on her head. "The gods brought us together again."

As she leaned in for a second kiss Uadjit felt a disturbance in her head. "She's beginning to regain consciousness. I have to go." She grabbed Sandra's bag, brushed off any debris from it, and galloped to the alleyway entrance, the wall long gone from the shadow game's illusion.

Akefia ran after her and grabbed her wrist. "When will I see you again?"

Uadjit contemplated for a moment. "Send me a sign when Ra sets. I'll find you when the girl falls asleep." She squeezed his hand and brought it to her lips, leaving a faint peck before letting go and running off into the street.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I have absolutely no idea how the language of the ancient Egyptians sounded I substituted with the Arabic of today. The translations are rough since I only use Google Translate; if anyone speaks Arabic and can find any ways to correct the sentences, please feel free to send me a message!
> 
> Zil Alshabh: The Ghost's Shadow
> 
> Sawf tasqut alihatak, sawf tatalashaa ruhuka. Sawf yanqasim alainqisam aleazimu. Sawf yudi' alnuwr min eaynayk , wahakdhana ymkn 'an 'ajmae habia wa'anaa: Your gods will fall, your soul will fade. The great divide will break away. The light shall dim from your eyes, thus my love and I may reunite.
> 
> Ya zahrat alsahra': my desert flower
> 
> I forget where I heard the name Akefia before, but I feel it fits better as an ancient Egyptian name than Bakura.


	9. Pressure and Control

Ryou was beginning to think he was losing his mind. Not that the idea hadn't crossed his mind before, but lately it had been getting worse, including the night before. He'd awakened to something crusty irritating his hand... Blood. And a reasonable amount of it. Was it his again like Battle City? Upon inspection of his body he concluded it wasn't his own. Whoever's it was must have been caught in some sort of fight, thrown through a window or scraped against the floor like skidding tires, based on the glass shards and dirt he found in the fibers of his shirt. It was deja vu: bouts of blackouts, gaps in his memories, blood on his cuff - it was the same as the day he left his old school. But the bad luck followed like a shadow, and so far he counted five incidents bearing the same symptoms. "What could it have been this time?" he asked himself on the way to school. Consulting Yugi had crossed his mind more than once, but with his track record of hurting Yugi and his friends, it seemed like a terrible idea. They'd argue that it wasn't his fault, that his Millennium Ring had an evil spirit inside and mention all the times they tried to get rid of it; but it always found its way back to him. Maybe it was less bad luck and more of a curse, like old classmates had yelled at him.

And then there was the transfer student. Her brazen, no-holds-barred attitude was more than he could handle - and he'd barely said three words to her. Every time he even looked at Sandra his gut would twist into knots as severe nausea kicked in and he'd black out. Honda and Jonouchi joked that he had the hots for the hothead, which he immediately denied, and Anzu would silence them before they could continue poking fun. But Ryou knew there was something off-putting about Sandra Evans. He'd seen brash students before, but she took the cake when she played with a lighter in class. They never exchanged anything more than a word or two, and he preferred to keep it that way. It relaxed and elated Ryou when she either cut class or stayed quiet the entire time and rushed in and out of class. Today was different, though. Sandra was normally loud, or at least associating with Ryuji as he helped translate everything for her, but it almost seemed like she was purposely avoiding looking his way. By fourth period they went to separate classes, a relief to both parties.

Algebra and Ryuji's advances distracted Sandra a great deal from her stress, though it couldn't completely wash away the uneasiness clouding her mind. Something had happened to her the night before - something gruesome, she was sure - but her memory suddenly had gaps in it. She tapped the eraser end of her pencil against her lip and glanced out the window. The last full memory she had was leaving work, getting lost walking down the street, finding a guy coming out of a bodega... From there it was only fragments: dark purple fog, a giant snake, a knife pointed at her. And then, nothing. She woke up the next morning in her bed, still dressed in her work clothes that were suddenly ripped all over. What the hell happened, she questioned in her head, why can't I remember it all? Her gaze moved back to the blackboard. The instructor had laid out a set of problems for the class to solve. It was lucky she could read it without Ryuji translating it. A student sitting in the back left corner raised his hand and answered the first problem. A girl next to the window solved the second. Sandra's mind wandered again, thinking suddenly of the figment she'd seen twice. She called herself some strange name she couldn't fully pronounce. Wa...something-

 **"Uadjit."** Sandra's head shot up and her eyes widened. The figment materialized before her, floating in a seated position with her legs crossed, her attire mirroring the teen's uniform. The latter's brows drew in. **"I can hear your thoughts, in case you didn't get the picture. No need to open that foul mouth of yours."** Uadjit raised a hand and began to examine her nails. **"You're wondering what happened last night and how you got home. Well, you have me to thank for that. Someone tried to rob you in that alleyway you so stupidly waltzed into. You fought them off but got hit pretty hard in the head, so you passed out. I took over and got you home in one piece, though you were semi-conscious before I could change you out of those clothes-turned-rags. Shame. I really liked that outfit."**

Sandra's head tilted sideways. 'Took over? The fuck does that mean?'

Someone cleared their throat loudly, gaining her attention. The instructor lowered the hand holding chalk and wriggled his nose. "Miss Evans, it looks like you know the answer to problem 5. Why don't you come to the front and solve it for the class?" All student eyes fell on her. Sandra turned to Ryuji, who only shrugged and gestured to the front with his chin. "Anytime today would be nice." She closed her eyes and huffed, then pushed herself up with her hands on the desk. Sandra ignored the eyes on her and took the chalk stick sitting in the instructor's hand. Whether she'd been paying attention or not, math was her best subject, and she solved the problem easily and displayed her process beneath the writing. Sandra handed the chalk back to the instructor, who stared at her with unreadable eyes, and bent slightly into a mock curtsey. "Yes, well...excellent work. But please try to keep your eyes on the board instead of the gentlemen." A few snickers followed her as she returned to her seat, and the moment she sat down and the teacher turned his attention back to the board, she flipped him off. Ryuji extended a hand to comfort her but she was quick to slap it away and slump in her seat, burying her face in her notebook.

Her brooding continued to the end of class and she threw her stuff into her bookbag. Skateboard in hand, she bolted to the door, only to feel Ryuji's hand intertwine with hers and pull her backwards. "You okay?" he inquired. "You've been acting kind of weird the past couple of days- well, I mean...not like 'you' you. Okay, I'm blowing this-"

"Save it," she snapped. "I'm not in the mood for your flirting."

"I'm not flirting, Sandra. I'm checking on your mental status. I know this is a new environment for you and adjusting is pretty stressful, but I'm only trying to help-"

Sandra ripped her hand out of his. "I don't want your help. You're only good for translating and that's it." The instructor had packed his bag and left the room. Sandra resumed her storming out and was promptly blocked by Ryuji beside the teacher's desk. He opened his mouth to plead one more time and was stopped when the transfer student wound her arm back and threw her fist into his face. Ryuji stumbled and fell over the first row of student desks, and pressed a hand to his quickly swelling face.

"EVANS!" Sandra turned around and found the instructor staring at them wide-eyed and mouth agape. "Detention! NOW!!" He grabbed her lapel and dragged her through the doorway, stopping a passing student and told them, "Kiki, please take Ryuji to the infirmary. Have his face checked out." The girl rushed into the classroom and shrieked at the sight of his face, which had reddened and puffed significantly in the seconds that passed.

Word got around fast of Sandra's assault on Ryuji. Some students blew it out of proportion, adding kicks and a tackle to make it more dramatic. Texts were sent and the student body was appalled, particularly the female students who fawned over Ryuji like a god. "The nerve of her punching our poor Ryuji."

"How dare she! Oh, his poor face!"

And the girls poured into the infirmary within minutes to comfort their sex symbol. They offered everything from doing his homework for him to bringing him lunch to even driving him home and taking care of him until nightfall. Miho heard about the incident via text and showed Anzu, who gasped but didn't seem as surprised as her friend. "I knew she was a bad seed, but I never thought she'd take it this far." They walked to the infirmary and pushed their way through the horde of squealing girls blocking the entryway, which the nurse was doing her best to keep clear. Anzu and Miho squeezed in between the nurse and crowd and assisted the nurse in pushing the girls back until they were able to close the door and lock it. Panting, the girls and nurse slumped against the door and huffed relieved sighs. "Holy crap, that was awful. They're worse than normal!"

"You're telling me." Miho and Anzu turned to Ryuji, seated in a chair beside the medicine cabinet. He held an ice bag against his right cheek; from what Anzu could see, bruising had already begun to spread up near his eye and the corner of his mouth. Ryuji lowered the ice bag from his face. "How bad is it?"

Miho leaned in to inspect the damage. The punch had luckily spared his eye, but the bruise itself developed fast, spreading red across his skin. "She got you good. Why'd she even hit you?"

Ryuji shrugged. "She's been acting weird lately, so I asked her if anything was wrong. Then..." He gestured to his cheek. "I'm never asking out transfer students again."

Anzu's focus shifted to her phone and she read a text from Honda. "The guys said they're going to confront her when she gets out of detention. You at least deserve a reason why she'd hurt you, Ryuji. She shouldn't have no matter how much of a jerk she's been."

"That's the transfer student from Canada, right?" Miho asked to be sure she could pair the name with a face. Anzu nodded. "I saw her on the first day back. She was in the boys' uniform, blasting horribly loud music while playing with a lighter!" She leaned closer to Anzu and whispered in her ear, "And she's been talking to herself for the past week. Mumbling in science class about some ghost haunting her." That confirmed Anzu's suspicions. She sat in silence as Miho helped ice Ryuji's cheek while the nurse checked him for any additional injuries, texting Honda back.

_Miho said she'd seen Sandra talking to herself about some ghost-thing. I knew I was right!_

Ryuji stayed in the infirmary until the end of the school day. The nurse insisted on calling his father but he declined. "I'm fine, just a little bruise. It won't even show for a few days." He gathered his things and handed the ice compress back to the nurse, bowing to her in thanks before he departed. He was relieved to find the halls mostly empty, save a couple of students just leaving their classes or heading to cram school. His friends appeared around the corner and met him halfway down the hall. Jonouchi couldn't take his eyes off the swollen right half of his face, now a bright red from his eye to his jaw. He didn't realize how close he was staring until Ryuji's hand pushed his face away. "Yes, it's a bruise. Nothing you haven't seen before."

"True," Jonouchi began, "but she REALLY got you good, dude. And she only threw one punch?" Ryuji nodded. "Sheesh! Even I couldn't hit that hard in the old days. Remind me to never piss her off." They sauntered down the hall at a slow pace, checking each classroom in search of Sandra. One lower floor and nine doors later they spotted the transfer student through a classroom door's window, seemingly staring into space as her fingers drummed the top of the desk, red headphones over her ears. No teacher or school staff were inside. Ryuji reached for the doorknob only to be stopped by the blond. "Better if you sit this one out, man. We don't need her hitting you again."

Honda slung his arm around Ryuji's shoulder. "Come on, I'll take you out to eat. My treat." The latter felt guilty for leaving the others behind to deal with his problem but they reassured him it was alright. "Don't make us give you the friendship speech again."

"Okay, okay, I'll go." Ryuji turned on heel and walked beside Honda for the south exit, suggesting a few games at his place after eating.

Jonouchi waited until they were out of sight to open the door. He poked his head inside to confirm there was no one else around before pushing it fully open and stepping inside. Yugi and Anzu kept a safe distance between themselves and Sandra, neither wanting to end up like Ryuji. The blond wasted no time, rounding her desk and slamming a hand on its surface and ripping her headphones off with the other. Sandra's eyes shot open and landed on the culprit. "What the fuck? That was the best part of the song!"

The blond knew he'd have to be harsh from the start if he expected to get an answer. "What the fuck is your deal?" he retorted, channeling parts of his old personality. "We've shown you nothing but kindness, and then you hit one of us! Have you seen Ryuji's face? He looks like a fucking balloon!"

"Then he shouldn't have touched me," she replied, rolling her eyes to the window to avoid eye contact. Her blaring music paused and left an eerie silence in the room. "He wants to get all personal and make me his arm candy, thinking his 'pretty boy' looks and shitty pick-up lines would woo me." Her gaze returned to Jonouchi, darting momentarily to the wall where Anzu and Yugi stood. "I told him 'no'. And if I tell a guy 'no' and he hears a 'yes' and acts on his dick's instincts, I'm going to fuck him up."

"Well that's not how the world works!" Anzu interfered. She took a cautious step closer to the transfer student. "If he was really bothering you that much, you could've told us. We would've told him to give you space. But THIS-" Her blood began to boil -"this is WAY worse than the other shit you pulled! Maybe if you actually listened to us for once instead of talking to some...'ghost' all the damn time, you'd let us in and-"

Sandra raised from her seat, bag and skateboard in hand. "And what? Give me some fucking friendship speech?" She blew raspberries and flicked her hair from her face, briefly showing the right side. "Words don't do shit, Princess, and the quicker you learn that, the quicker you'll stop mommy-ing me. It's really getting on my damn nerves." Her shoulder shoved into Jonouchi's and forced him out of her way; she paid Anzu, who winced and assumed a defensive stance, no further attention as she departed. "That goes for you, too, Blondie. I'm not afraid to fuck up some reformed douchebag."

Yugi, having remained quiet during the encounter, pat Jonouchi's arm. He strode past the blond and began to follow Sandra, who was some meters away from him. His friends rushed after Yugi but were shooed away when he held a hand up behind him. "Yug-"

"I know what I'm doing." He'd dealt with bullies and delinquents and the like before. Many, many times he was punched and thrown around and threatened. He survived Kaiba's attempts to kill him with his amusement park, almost being burned alive when the Rare Hunters started appearing, nearly drowning to save his best friend, having his soul squeezed by Pegasus... Simple high school threats didn't faze him anymore. He'd found worth in everyone he met, regardless of the physical damage they caused him; Honda, Jonouchi, Ryuji, and especially Marik, were proof that the good in someone could be freed no matter the circumstances. Sandra was a difficult case, he agreed, but he'd seen the spark in her heart that opposed her thorned personality. Yugi believed he could bring it out for good.

He waited until he was sure they were alone, knowing Anzu and Jonouchi would still be able to interfere if things went too far. Yugi knew she was aware of his presence but waited for her to act first before he said anything. Ten minutes passed and she came to a halt, uttering a long, disgruntled sigh as she glared over her shoulder. "The hell do you want?"

He watched her body language before speaking, taking note of where her hands were. "I wanted to apologize for what Ryuji did to you. If you told him 'no' and he ignored that, he was in the wrong. And while I don't condone violence as a response, he still shouldn't have touched you. He understands that now." Sandra let him speak, knowing he wouldn't be so stupid as to try something. His hands remained by his sides, fingers relaxed and palm visible. The clock ticked on the wall parallel from them, each tick getting louder and dragging out the longer she stayed silent.

"...Is that all?" He nodded once. Her shoulders relaxed. Sandra turned around slowly and stared him straight in the eye, waiting for him to crack, but he stayed firm. She sighed again and broke their eye contact. "...Apology accepted."

Yugi blinked twice. He'd expected her to yell at him, not talk like a normal human being. The corners of his mouth curved up in the faintest smile, not wanting to seem overbearing and have the situation tank. "I'll make sure he apologizes himself, though you should probably do the same. He's banged up pretty good."

"Maybe he'll remember it the next time he tries hitting on me." And there went the conversation. "But...I guess I can tell him sorry or something. He did keep the principal from calling my mom." Conversation saved. Yugi stepped forward and waited for her to flinch; when she didn't he moved closer.

"Can I ask you something? It's completely off topic."

Her shoulders rotated in a half shrug. "Sure."

Should he dive right in and ask about the 'ghost' she kept referring to? No, he didn't want to scare her away so soon. His attention diverted to her necklace. "Would you mind if I took a closer look at your necklace - the gold one with the bird? I know someone who might be able to figure out if it's really a fake or not."

She raised an eyebrow at the odd request. "O...kay, I guess that's fine...?" Her hands curled around her neck and released the clasp holding the chain closed. She gathered the chain in her hand and laid the falcon on top, then offered her hand to Yugi. Seeing the necklace up close was much more intriguing than when he first saw it. It'd only been for a moment and was hidden by her stone-beaded choker; now he was able to fully take it in. It was certainly beautiful, even with the paint chipping off. The falcon's outer feathers were painted the dark lapis lazuli blue common in Egypt, brightening the already vibrant green that made up the inner feathers. The plumage on its torso and tail was a mix of both colors alternating in rows. The colors worked well with the tint of the gold, especially when he noticed the green gems that made up the eyes. It carried three circles on its form: one in each clawed foot and the last above its head, where the eye of Horus stared back. He lifted his Puzzle with his free hand and held them side by side, comparing the gold and eye. He flipped the falcon over and went mouth agape. The back was unpainted gold, shimmering even in the many scratches across its surface, and tiny hieroglyphs were inscribed from head to foot. When Sandra's attention was elsewhere he snuck his phone out and snapped a photo of each side to send to Marik later. By the time she looked back to him the phone had been pocketed as if it were never taken out.

"It's really nice," he told her, and handed the necklace back. "The design is amazing. And you know, the eye on it seems to match my...'necklace'." Yugi held the Puzzle in both hands and lifted it for her to see. She didn't react to the Item at all and he lowered it to hang again. "It's funny; when Anzu told me you were talking to yourself, she mentioned this 'ghost' no one but you could supposedly see. She caught you arguing with it at one point." He glanced up mid-monologue and noticed the tension returning to Sandra's face. "Not that I'm making fun of you for it. It's just ironic. I seem to attract Egyptian artifacts like I'm some kind of magnet; then when I think I've discovered all seven Millennium Items-"

Sandra scoffed and crossed her arms. "You know, you're the second person to mention that. The first was some asshole that tried robbing me last night. He had this red mask on with a big nose, a knife in his hand..." Her eyes narrowed in thought. "...And that weird purple fog I can't figure out. I don't remember anything after that."

Purple fog? Gaps in memory? Yugi knew of only one thing that involved both. He cursed in his head, not wanting to believe it was happening again. **"Aibou."** His darker counterpart heard everything Yugi did. Their voices synched as they spoke two words simultaneously.

"Shadow game."

"Shadow _what_?" Sandra retorted. "Are you talking about some occult shit? Because I'm not really into that kind of stuff."

Something stirred in her gut and shot up to her head. Yugi's stance tense. "Sandra, I think you may be in danger. If my assumption's correct, the assailant will be looking for you."

Pressure swirled in her head. **"Don't listen to him. Something about him leaves me uneasy... I don't like this boy."** Sandra's gaze darted next to her, expecting to see the hallucination floating beside her and found empty air.

"Sandra!" She snapped out of her trance and turned to Yugi again, who was already reaching for her hand. "You shouldn't travel alone for a while. You'll be safer with us. And don't worry about them hating you; I'll explain everything." Yugi's hand found hers and he started down the hall back to his friends, the transfer student staggering behind him.

 **"Stay away from him."** The pressure in her head swam behind her eyes. **"Don't let him take you away. He's not to be trusted."** Her heart started to race, pumping blood faster through her veins and aggravating her nerves. Yugi's gentle grip on her hand suddenly became a searing block burning and melting her flesh.

She tore her hand out of his grasp, eliciting the boy before her to halt his footsteps and turn around. "What's wrong?" Uncertainty blanketed her face and she stepped backwards, and the teen approached her with open arms. "Sandra, you can trust me. There's something bad happening, something I can't explain just yet-"

"You're bullshitting me. Just like Otogi and that masked fucker."

"I'm trying to protect you. Shadow games aren't to be toyed with, and if you're being targeted, they won't stop until you're dealt with." His hold on the situation was dwindling fast. Sandra backed away another step, shaking her head 'no'. "Sandra..." His hand outstretched to her again, palm up, begging for her to follow. "I want to help."

Her blood pressure spiked and expanded her veins, hitting every nerve in her body. She collapsed to her knees and held her head, and yelped in agony. Yugi ran to her and checked her body for any possible injury. His hand touched her forearm, and the pain suddenly morphed into rage. Sandra sprang to her feet and pushed his hand away, dropping her skateboard, and grabbed his lapel. She lifted him with ease and slammed his small body against the wall. His head snapped sideways and a heavy wheeze escaped his lungs. Opening one eye, he glimpsed at the transfer student. He hadn't been there when she assaulted Ryuji, and though the side of her he knew was nasty at times, she'd never reacted on this level. Her pupils shrank as she leaned in and her hair seemed to fluff out on all sides, her bangs moving away from her right eye.

Sandra narrowed her gaze, locking Yugi's with hers. "Why is it that boys never learn the meaning of the word 'no'? Are you all just playing stupid, or are you really that dumb?" The pitch in her voice had changed, Yugi noticed, now softer and slightly higher than normal. She momentarily looked down at his Millennium Puzzle before locking eyes once more, and fear invoked in his. "Come now, Yugi. Do you really believe I'd bear an interest in your trinket? You must think low of me." His hand inched toward the one suspending him above the floor, and when it was close to her wrist, her foot smashed it against the wall and held it down. "You men make it such a point to be heard out, like listening to the same speech over and over will change my mind; so now you'll listen to what I have to say." Her free hand cupped his cheek. "I haven't figured out why I despise you so much yet, but this adds to the feeling. I don't like you; _SHE_ doesn't like you. Accept that and cease communication, or face the consequences of your actions."

Yugi's heart thumped hard and dark thoughts swam into his mind. "Yami, no," he pleaded.

"Come near the girl and I again," she concluded, "and Akefia's magic will tear your soul from your body and feed it to Apep."

 **"I will not allow anyone to harm you,"** the Puzzle's spirit stated. Yugi's blond bangs squirmed and shifted as if wind swept through them. His eyes shut tight and he violently shook his head. **"I'm sorry, Aibou. I hope you can forgive me.**

"Yami!" His scream echoed through the empty hallway and caught Jonouchi and Anzu's attention. They darted around the corner, stopping short when they took in the sight before them. Their friend was in pain, dark purple smoke swirling around his tiny body and stretching his limbs. His voice fell deeper in his scream and his bangs stood vertically spiked. His forehead emitted a glow that shaped into the eye of Anubis, and before anything could be said the girl was flying across the hall and hit the parallel wall, his own body dropping to the floor. Anzu reached Yugi first and helped him stand while Jonouchi used himself as a blockade between his friend and Sandra. It was mere seconds before he noticed the purple smoke crawling between his legs. He peered over his shoulder and found Yugi standing, taller than he normally was, his eyes narrowed and intense. The eye of Anubis remained on his forehead as he gently swiped Anzu's hand from his shoulder and walked around Jonouchi toward Sandra.

The transfer student stared up at the darker Yugi that towered over her crouched frame. "Who are you?" She stayed silent and continued to glare, annoying him further. He held his palm out at her, ready to sentence her to a penalty game - his first in over a year.

And then she smirked. "I know who I am; the real question lies in whether you know who _you_ are. Though I may not know your identity, I now have a hint as to why your presence makes me sick." The girl pulled her legs beneath her and slowly stood up, seeming unfazed by the glowing eye and creeping smoke, and swatted his hand away. "Your little act doesn't scare me. I've been involved with magic much worse than yours."

Jonouchi lost it. He jumped between the two and pressed his forearm into her chest to pin her against the wall. "I was never keen on hitting girls, not even when I picked on others...but you're starting to change my mind-" She passed out in his hold, her head slumping to the side. Jonouchi pulled away and let her slide to the floor, but stayed alert in case she tried anything.

She stirred a moment later, blinking several times as her bangs fell over her right eye, and took in the scene around her. Sandra registered the sudden pain in her back and breastbone and the lingering stares on her. Then she saw the purple smoke dissipating, though still visible around Yugi's frame. She put two and two together and pushed her body to the side to create distance between them. She was scared... She was scared? Anzu was the first to see how her personality shifted and sauntered in careful steps closer to her. "Sandra?"

"Stay the fuck away from me!" The girl scrambled to her feet and took her possessions before any one of the three could touch her. Chest heaving and eyes wide, a cold sweat had developed on the back of her neck as she searched her mind for what occurred between Yugi pleading with her and now. "I said I was sorry! Is that not good enough for you? You're gonna have your friends fuck me up to even the score?" Jonouchi's lips parted. "Don't try reasoning with me! You lied!" The eye of Anubis vanished and Yugi's hair began to fall back into place. "Purple fog, 'Millennium Items', Egyptian shit- you used that purple fog!" Her mind race faster than her words could catch up with. Sandra spun on heel and sprinted away from the trio, who decided to let her go for the time being.

None of them could fully register what just happened. "At least we can agree on something," Anzu said to break the tense silence. "We're definitely staying away from her."

"What happened, Yug?" Jonouchi asked. "We leave you alone with the broad for ten minutes and she's ready to knock you into next week! It was a good thing we were nearby, otherwise Sandra might've done some damage to you." Yugi's gaze was fixed in the direction Sandra left, body tense and fists clutched tight. "...You okay?"

"That wasn't Sandra." Anzu and Jonouchi exchanged confused reactions, and Yugi lifted his head to make eye contact. "I don't know what happened. One second she was following me, and the next-- She wasn't Sandra. Everything about her was different." The trio began to walk as Yugi explained the full situation, completely unaware of Bakura lurking in a far corner and observing the encounter.


	10. Stirring the Pot

He was being ignored...or so he assumed. Two weeks. He'd known the girl two weeks, and she was all he'd talk about. Mokuba was used to his brother's preference for solitude. There were times when Seto needed Mokuba's company, but they were fleeting and few, the instances dwindling in numbers the older they got. And there was a time, he admitted in silence, when he despised Seto and wanted nothing to do with him; only with the elder's establishment as the new Kaiba Corp. CEO did he learn the truth behind his resentment. He had the lavish lifestyle, he had friends, anything he wanted as his beck and call...all except for Seto. It was different when the rivalry between Seto and Yugi began. He wanted to best the latter at his own game, and though he failed at nearly every attempt, the losses and challenges motivated him to work harder, become better. The game became more than just that in Duelist Kingdom, and for the first time, Seto put his rivalry with Yugi aside to save his little brother from Pegasus' grasp. And it happened a second time when he was kidnapped by the Rare Hunters. Seto was never one for teamwork, yet when Mokuba's life was on the line, he set aside just enough pride to face the kidnappers alongside his rival. Their relationship was born from a game, the focus on being better than the other, more so to protect the world from 'evil' - as Yugi and Isis called it - instead of pride. He worked on becoming not only a better duelist, but a better person capable of taking care of himself and his brother without relying on anyone else; and when the time called for serious work to get done, Seto separated himself from the rivalry to focus. It was healthy.

But this new obsession he'd developed with Sandra was on a different level. Mokuba couldn't say the girl's name without his brother snapping the pencil in his hand or crumpling the paper on his desk. Merely seeing her put a bad taste in his mouth. And at first, Mokuba felt the same. Sandra Evans had defamed his brother on an international level with her YouTube post, something he rarely faced in terms of tabloids or the press. A magazine article on why he dared to wear a blue suit instead of the grays and blacks he usually did? He could deal with that. Salt was poured into the wound when it was discovered that the girl managed to break into their carefully crafted security system and further invade their privacy. And for what, new subscribers to her page? She aggravated the wound when she defeated him in their duel and flaunted herself like she didn't give a damn about the world. But she'd changed - personality-wise, she still had a sailor mouth sewn to that obnoxious tone in her voice - but being challenged by his brother seemed to bring a strange sense of calm over her. She was able to interact with Mokuba like she would her brothers, having normal conversations with very little cursing or defamation. It only extended as far as him, though; Seto was still out of the question. They were either yelling at each other, complaining about each other, or trading snide remarks as they passed one another in the halls. And unlike his relationship with Yugi, he couldn't detach her from his mind. Every word he typed, every line he overlooked in the company budgets, every time he even glanced at the keypad installed next to his office door, her voice never left his thoughts. It was juvenile, comical to a small extent. They were acting like elementary school students, unable to convey their boiling emotions in any other way apart from picking at each other's scabs...

Mokuba's thumbs slowed in his typing on his phone, staring into space and biting his lower lip. Oh, no. They couldn't have been treating each other like shit on purpose. They _couldn't_ have been...flirting. He squeezed his eyes closed and stuck out his tongue at the thought. Sure, he himself had a small crush or two on some of the girls in his class, and he knew that eventually his brother might settle down with someone, but their display of attraction - if it _was_ attraction - was just pathetic. All they did every weekend was argue and get in each other's face, neither of them paying him any mind the longer the fights went on. He had to put a stop to this...whatever it was they were doing.

Or maybe, just maybe, he could have some fun with this.

The wheels turned in his head. Mokuba closed the app he was on and switched to Snapchat. Dare he stir the pot? He weighed his options. Seto wasn't paying him any mind, and only did when it involved checking up on Sandra - even though he clearly had a camera installed in the upper corner of her office to watch her. He'd played every video game he owned and didn't feel like buying a new one, only to beat it in a couple of days. This was the most entertaining option. And if he got lucky, Seto would pay attention to him again instead of Sandra. He readied a post. The camera clicked and the screen displayed the photo: his face plastered with a devious grin, finger laid on top, eyes narrowed and deep in thought. 'Cooking something up,' he typed in the caption space, 'Gathering ingredients'.

And send.

* * *

Two days later and the bruise was really setting. The red that covered his swelled cheek had darkened and morphed into a mass of blotchy blues and purples. It still hurt like hell, pulsing the same as the day Sandra punched him. What had he done to set her off? Ryuji couldn't figure it out, and while his only option seemed to be asking her up front, there were a couple of things wrong with trying to. One: though his ravenous mind was still attracted to Sandra, he really didn't want anything to do with her for the time being. Two: even if he did, she was doing her best to avoid him and the others at all costs. She was even willing to forego his translating assistance and struggle to pronounce the words and write the kanji on her own. They never made eye contact or communicated in any of their classes, nor did she interact with Yugi and the group. She maintained her distance from them, stay quiet in class unless called on to answer a question, and hurried to leave the second the bell sounded. The only sound they heard from her unless called upon was her gum popping between chews.

While she avoided them like the plague, Yugi was stumped on what happened to her that afternoon. Her eyes had narrowed and her voice fell an octave or two, morphing into something he'd expect to hear from some actress. And her commentary... Sandra wasn't one for fancy wording; she was straightforward and didn't give a damn about your emotions. 'Maybe she was also like that when she punched Ryuji,' he wondered while packing his things. Jonouchi thought he was just a little freaked out from her slamming him into the wall. He'd been, too, never expecting the girl to just lift Yugi off the floor like a toy.

"Still doesn't discredit her for almost pounding ya into the wall," the blond argued. "I'm just glad you're in one piece. I don't need another friend all beaten and bruised." That hit a nerve with Ryuji, who shot Jonouchi a dirty look before Anzu could intervene. "Relax, man, I'm on your side."

"It seems like everything went into deeper shit when she started seeing this 'ghost'." Honda didn't like where the conversation was going. It was sounding like Bakura all over again, but he'd never voice that with Ryou standing right next to him. Minus the DnD games and presence of knives the situation was getting out of control. He needed to settle it before another Bakura walked amongst them.

And Anzu seemed to catch on to Honda's suspicions. "She did look different when she pulled that stunt on you, Yugi, but she's still responsible for almost hurting you."

"Come near the girl and I again, and Akefia's magic will tear your soul from your body and feed it to Apep." Yugi repeated the warning she'd given shortly before Yami forcefully took over. "I don't recognize the first name, but the second's an Egyptian deity of chaos and destruction. And you remember how Marik's appearance changed when his dark side took over? I swear I saw the same thing happen to her. And then she told me she was in a shadow game-"

"Awwwww, come on!" Jonouchi and Honda both held their heads and leaned far backwards in distress. "Can't we catch a break already? I'm tired of all this shadow crap!" He spoke for all of them, especially with him having stood toe to toe with Marik in the Battle City semifinals and the fact that he knew had he not passed out after Ra's attack, he would've won the match. In the back of his mind he always wondered why he hadn't just set his duel disc aside and throw his fist into the psycho's face. Then again, if he did go through with it he'd have done the same to Bakura, and he was done hurting his friends.

Yugi pulled out his phone and opened the email app. He was still waiting on a response from Marik about the necklace. He knew Marik was busy with his new job and finally normal life, and there he was, attracting more danger and probably getting the Ishtars involved. "Well, when Marik emails me back, we'll know it's a fake and this whole ordeal's just a really bad dream or something."

"Amen to that!"

They strolled down the hall after class, discussing other non-supernatural activities: the new games in stock in Yugi's family shop, Anzu's application to a prestigious dance academy in New York City, Honda's upcoming family trip to Hokkaido, Jonouchi's possible move-in with his mother and sister, the progress of the partnership between Industrial Illusions and Ryuji's family game store, Ryou's decision to pursue the career his father had - all normal things. When they reached the main entrance and had settled into an enjoyable conversation, Honda's eyes just happened to wander to the edge of the sidewalk and land on a familiar redhead walking to a black car... Oh no, not again. "Oh, boy." The words escaped him in a whisper that Jonouchi caught onto, followed by Ryou and Anzu and the others. The kidnapping flashed in their minds and, against his better judgement, Ryuji trekked toward the car. "Hey, wait a sec!"

Ryuji skipped to a stop beside the car, his steps gaining the attention of Sandra and the man opening the door for her. The former averted her gaze. "Hi," he said, his voice lacking any excitement.

"...Hey..." she replied in a sullen tone. Her gaze met his again before trailing to his bruised cheek. "Look, I... I'm sorry for hurting you. I was pissed and shouldn't have taken it out on you, and then Yugi got involved..." Her voice trailed off as her eyes glanced up and past Ryuji, landing on the others who'd halted to watch in case anything went wrong. Sandra held her skateboard to her chest. "I'd like you to help me with my Japanese, if you're still willing." He blinked in shock. An apology, no yelling or cursing... Was he talking to the same girl?

Before he could reply the chauffeur cleared his throat. "Miss Evans, we should get going. Master Kaiba has a tight schedule." She nodded and ducked her head, sliding into the car and setting her bag and skateboard on the seat beside her. She rolled down the window as the chauffeur rounded the car to get in the driver's seat. She wanted to say something but no words made it past her mind, so with a sigh she rolled the window up again and stared forward. Sandra said something to the driver that Ryuji couldn't hear and the car merged into the next lane.

He barely noticed his friends joining him at the edge of the sidewalk. They could only stare at the departing vehicle, having heard enough of the conversation to be left more confused than before. "So one freak day and she does a 180?" Jonouchi asked, scratching his head. "This chick gets weirder and weirder the more we're around her." Sort of like Ryou/Bakura, Yugi said in his mind, knowing his friends were probably thinking the same thing.

"But, wait." Honda's hands swam into his pockets. "I thought she only worked at Kaiba's company on the weekends. What's she doing going there on a Wednesday?"

Sandra had no idea, either, and continued to stare at the text translated on her phone as she undid the ribbon of her uniform. _You're needed at your office today. Come after school. A car will be sent for you.'_ What the hell did he mean? "Why does he have to be so subtle?" her voice rang through the car. She leaned forward against the pull of the seatbelt and grasped the headrest of the driver's seat. "What's Daenerys doing calling me in on a weekday? I've got shit to do."

"Master Kaiba has not disclosed any other information to me," he replied, his focus glued to the road. "He only told me to drive you to his office, and inform you that your mother is aware of your departure before you go and...'" He didn't want to repeat the rest of his words- "...have a shit fit." Sandra let go of the head rest and fell back into her seat. Traffic began to build in the streets, extending her outing even longer. She huffed in annoyance. Glancing at the text again, she considered actually working on her homework to pass the time, and debated which was worse. If she focused on reading for too long she'd get carsick, and probably have to puke; she could always mess up Kaiba's suit. Was the sickening feeling worth the outcome, though?

 **"Why do you have to be so cruel?"** Sandra sucked in a breath and held it as she turned to her right and saw the poltergeist sitting beside her, legs and arms crossed. **"He's only challenging your mind, darling, making you actually think for once instead of letting that storm you call 'music' invade your mind."** The student face forward again, her eyes bouncing back to the figment, wondering if the driver saw anything in his rear view mirror. **"I thought we went over this, Sandra. You're the only one who can see and hear me. Our thoughts are connected; how else do you think I sensed your fear the other day and protected you from that wretched boy?"** She'd always wondered what happened that afternoon. She'd blacked out after hearing the voice urge her to get away from Yugi, that he was going to hurt her somehow...and then she awoke to find herself slumped against the wall, Jonouchi glowering above her and purple smoke dissipating from Yugi's body. But there's no way he could try anything to harm her; he was puny. **"I must say, I'm surprised you're that flexible. I took a risk with stepping on his arm. Shame his friends intervened, I probably could've broken it."**

'Broken it??' What the hell happened? 'Wait...did you 'take over my body' again?' The figment nodded once, her smile growing to let Sandra know she was finally getting the idea. 'You need to stop that shit. I don't want you fucking up my life.'

The figment huffed and rolled her eyes. **"ME fucking up your life? Sweetheart, you're doing that all on your own. It was you who punched that flirtatious boy, you who destroyed a security system just for the hell of it, and you were the one who so stupidly wandered into the streets and nearly got yourself killed. I'm just trying to repair the damage. You destroy, I create."** Like a life cycle, she realized by the time the car slowed to a stop in front of the Kaiba Corp. building. Sandra was oblivious to it until the driver opened her door, the noise startling her back to reality.

"We've arrived, Miss Evans." He offered her his hand.

She heaved one book bag strap over her shoulder and picked up her skateboard, and ignored the chauffeur's hand when she stepped out. The doorman opened the large glass door for her and escorted her inside, had her signed in, and sent her off to the elevator as the lobby secretary paged the CEO. The elevator ride dragged on, much too long a moment for her to sink back into her thoughts and start seeing things again, and she was relieved when the door slid open.

Instead of going into her office, the secretary of floor 29 directed her to the boss'. "O...kay," she replied with a raised eyebrow. Her footsteps were silent compared to the usual heels she was forced to wear; she hoped he wouldn't start nagging her about wearing sneakers in his office. Sandra pushed the door open and closed it behind her, and noticed Kaiba facing the window with his hands folded behind his back. An eerie reminder of their first meeting, minus being tied to a chair and threatened. She tossed her bag onto the couch and stood her skateboard up against its back before approaching the desk. "So what's with the surprise call-in?"

"No snide commentary? You're getting soft, Evans." Kaiba spun on heel and marched to his desk, sitting in the large leather chair. His fingers knitted together as he leaned forward. "You've been acting strange as of late. One of my assistants mentioned how he discovered you collapsed on the floor and sweating profusely. And Mokuba informed me that you skipped out on the town car the other night and wandered off like a lost child. Normally, I'd look the other way and leave it be, but your work is too valuable for you to be losing your mind. I need you focused, Evans, not about to burst at the seams or locking yourself in the bathroom for god knows how long." The CEO's stare lingered on her, watching every nerve in her face twitch or move as he spoke. "I need an explanation before I get HR involved."

"And what the fuck are they gonna do? You get the final say either way." Sandra twisted herself so she was half-laying on the couch, one leg hanging over the edge and her hand pressed into her cheek. "Look, I'm under a lot of stress. Along with your little security system, I've got homework that Mom's up my ass about, having weirdos try to claw their way further in - I was almost ROBBED the other night, and to top the cake, I have to translate all this fucking Japanese so I can understand everything!" Her body shot up. "Do you know how hard it is for me to read the fucking menu in the kitchen? I have to go by the damn pictures to even guess what's in the meals like some toddler! I can't read the fucking bus map-"

"Stop talking." Sandra held her tongue mid-sentence. Kaiba stood up and walked around the desk, arms crossed and eyes dark. "Now what's this about you getting robbed? Was this the same night Mokuba told me about?" She didn't even need to speak for him to get the message. "Idiot. Why didn't you take the car? It's your only transportation here since you're unable to read anything." Sandra just stared at him, unwilling to answer, and he grew vexed with her attitude. He grabbed her ankle and yanked her leg off the couch, inspected the upholstery for any damage from her shoe, and put his attention back on her when he saw it was fine.

The transfer groaned and rolled to sit up. "Like I said, I'm under a lot of stress. I needed some air; I thought a walk would help clear my head."

"What did the assailant look like?" She raised an eyebrow at his inquiry. "If you're to finish the security system I need you alive and functioning. And that means knowing what potential threats are roaming. So spill it."

Sandra's gaze went to the floor, studying the patterns in the marble floor. "He had a mask on, so I couldn't see his face, and held a kitchen knife. Black coat, striped shirt, normal clothes." And then the purple smoke crossed her mind again. Her shoulders tensed.

"What is it?"

Her eyes slowly drifted up to meet his. "You're not gonna believe me. When the creep cornered me in the alley, he did...something I can't explain. There was purple smoke and he said some shit about Millennium Items and-" Kaiba groused and pinched the bridge of his nose. "What?"

Of fucking course this shit would come back to haunt him. A strange approach, yes, but still bothersome all the same. "You've been hanging around Yugi and his geek squad, haven't you?"

"Yes...how do you know Yugi?" Then she recalled Battle City, Kaiba's face plastered on the sports channel's e-sports segments. And Yugi had participated in the tournament; they probably face each other at some point.

He felt a headache setting in. "And let me guess: you have an Egyptian relic and found me to talk about my fate in saving the future. Spare me the bullshit, Evans."

"The fuck are you talking about?" She sprang up from her seat. "Don't tell me you know about this crap!" Her hands balled into fists as she threw them to the air and growled, stomping her foot like an animal ready to charge. "I'm gonna tell you to shut the fuck up before you even try to say something! If you're in on this with that maggot and the Breakfast Club, I want nothing to do with you! I'd rather get eaten by some magical snake than associate with the likes of you!" Her left hand lowered and she poked him in his chest.

"Let's get something straight." His hand wrapped around her wrist. "I despise those freaks Yugi considers to be friends. I do what I can to avoid interacting with them, more so with those Egyptians that keep shoving destiny down my throat! So don't you go putting me in the same class as those peasants. I write my own future with work, not magic tricks." Her stance loosened and her expression seemed to calm, eliciting Kaiba to release her arm. "I see we've reached an understanding."

"We actually have something in common. Look at that." Sandra picked up her bag. "Now if we're done here-"

He held out his hand. "Not so fast. You're still not off the hook for your stupidity. Use the town car; it's not there to collect dust while you go searching for trouble." Her lips parted. "And I'll hire a translator for you. Saturday, 8am. Don't be late."

She blew raspberries. "Don't tell me you're actually concerned for my safety."

"What I'm concerned about is you finishing your work, so cut the crap. I'll micro-chip you if I have to."

"Fine, I'll use your transportation. Now can I leave, Your Majesty?" Kaiba snorted and waved her off. Sandra did a mock curtsey and swung her arm in, bringing both hands up to flip him off, and grabbed her things to leave.

She couldn't wait to get home. The second the car pulled up to her house she threw the door open and dashed out. At her door she fished her keys from her blazer pocket and unlocked the door, standing her skateboard in the corner. Someone was cooking, and by the smell of it, something greasy. Definitely Jack. As she closed the door the chauffeur called out to her. "Miss Evans!" Sandra turned to the driver, who handed her a rectangular paper bag. "From Master Kaiba. He requests that you wear this on your next work day." He bowed and returned to the car before she could ask him anything.

"Huh." Sandra played with the tissue paper inside the bag. "Guess Mom gave him my size?" Though she had no idea why her mother would tell her boss what size clothing her daughter wears. She untied her sneakers and placed them beside her brothers', then ran upstairs to her room. She tossed her book bag and blazer onto a desk chair near the window and let herself fall onto the bed. Sitting up, she dug in the paper bag and picked up the clothes wrapped in blue tissue paper. "Blue. Typical." Sandra unfolded the tissue paper and tossed it to the floor, her pace slowing when she began to reveal the outfit. Her jaw clenched, eyes widened, and she threw the clothes to the other side of her bed. Shock morphed into indignation and embarrassment all at once. Her scowl settled on the note that came with the package: 'Your uniform for Saturday. Wear it or else.' Her anger exploded.

"KAIBA!!!!"


End file.
